In Between
by danakate
Summary: A series of Nell/Callen-centric fic based in between the scenes of any given episode.  Covers Season 2.
1. First Impressions

**In Between**

**Pairing**: G. Callen/Nell Jones

**Disclaimer**: These characters belong to CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Spoilers**: General show spoilers. Specific spoilers listed with each chapter.

**Author's Notes**: The "In Between" series is intended to take place in between the scenes (which includes immediately before/after an episode) of every episode of _NCIS: LA_ since _02x04 - Special Delivery_, when Nell Jones is first introduced. I haven't written them all, so I'm posting as I do them. The newer episodes are being written first but I do intend to go back and write for the earlier episodes. Thus, this could get messy, as I want this to be in order so the chapters will likely get re-ordered. I apologize in advance for any heartache in reading this may cause.

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><p><strong>First Impressions<strong>

**Rating**: PG-13 (for curse words)

**Spoilers:** 02x04 - Special Delivery

* * *

><p>The moment Callen meets her, he knows Nell Jones is trouble. Or in trouble. He isn't sure which and, really, it's possibly both. There's a confidence and boldness about her that he recognizes (in himself, if he's completely honest). He's not fooled by her short stature; after all, he knows Hetty.<p>

He doesn't really pay her much attention after the initial meeting. Callen knows she'll either be gone or brought into line by Hetty by the end of the week.

A week passes and Nell's still with them. When she whistles for their next case, though, and Callen sees Eric's exasperated look, Callen's eyebrows go up. Somehow, Nell's managed to maintain her personality, enthusiasm, idealism, and just about everything else new hires usually come in with (Deeks calls it the "new employee smell").

The team files into Ops and Callen can tell Nell is excited. She hasn't been part of a full briefing, yet, and her interruptions amuse him at first. Callen knows she's just trying to fit in and be useful. It's never easy being the new one. He should know; he's had more than his fair share of time being the new one in his life. After all, he's spent his life either changing foster homes, jobs, or places to live. "New" is pretty much Callen's default position.

But when Nell interrupts Hetty, that's the first time Callen thinks Nell is headed straight for the "in trouble" category.

The pause in the briefing extends way beyond the "awkward" moment and goes into "shit's about to go down" territory and Callen wonders if he should be thinking of an exit strategy.

Hetty moves on, though, and so does the rest of the team. Nell, Callen thinks, is safe. For the moment.

* * *

><p>It isn't until the end of the mission that Nell enters Callen's thoughts again. This time, though, he fears for her life. Nell has managed to do something no one he knows has ever done and lived to tell about it. She has surprised Hetty. The jury's still out on whether or not Nell will survive the event, though.<p>

Balloons are still bouncing around and Hetty's expression is a mixture of shock and delight at the scarf Nell's given her. Callen's pretty sure his own face is stuck on a look of "oh, my god, Nell's going to die." The rest of his team is about the same.

But, once again, the unexpected happens and Hetty not only accepts Nell's gift but thanks her for it and invites all of them to join in a celebratory drink.

"Bold move," Sam says. They're hanging out on the outskirts of their little impromptu party, observing.

Callen shrugs. "Or stupid. She's still alive, though, so that's gotta count for something."

"How do you think she did it? We've known Hetty for years and thought about this for days and couldn't come up with anything," Sam muses.

"Well, she _is_ an intelligence analyst," Callen reasons.

"Maybe so," Sam replies. "Maybe so."

Callen excuses himself and, after wishing Hetty a happy birthday, finds himself wandering the less populated areas of the old water planning administration building. He's never been comfortable in gatherings like birthday parties, and while most of the people involved are his friends—his family, really—sometimes it's a bit much.

By the time he gets back to the main building, everyone else is gone. Well, almost.

Callen leans against a door frame and watches as Nell gathers up the balloons. He's curious what she'll do with them, but for the moment he's highly amused at how methodical and focused she is.

Nell has a pair of scissors in one hand and a nearly endless supply of balloons at the ready in her other hand. He can hear her humming to herself as she snips the ends of the balloons one by one and lets them go, deflating the balloons quickly and efficiently. Callen grins the few times a dying balloon flies into her face and she literally squeaks.

The pile of balloons goes quickly, which is amazing given the sheer number of them, but soon Nell's looking around for stray balloons. Callen's surprised she hasn't yet spotted him.

He spies a lone balloon that didn't manage to make it to the floor just before she does. It's caught on the corner of some partitions.

"Well, what are you doing up there?" she asks it, and Callen covers his mouth to muffle a laugh. "I'm surprised you didn't pop."

But Nell's just a little too short to reach it. She tries valiantly for a few moments, stretching up as far as she can go, but ultimately she can't get to it.

Callen's about to speak up and offer his assistance when Nell suddenly turns to the side and grabs a chair. With wheels. Immediately, Callen starts to walk forward. This can't end well.

Nell hesitates for a moment and, to the chair, echoes his sentiment, "This probably won't end well."

But she does it anyway, balancing precariously on the chair which not only has wheels but also tilts and swivels.

As he gets closer, Callen can hear Nell talking to herself. "This was so not a good idea," she says even as she's standing up and reaching for the wayward balloon.

And then the inevitable happens. Nell moves just so, the chair wheels follow, and then she's falling.

Callen sees her shut her eyes before he sprints forward the last few steps and catches her in his arms.

"Wha-?" Nell's eyes pop open in surprise. "Agent Callen!"

He can't help but grin and he shakes his head at her. "You know, I saw that whole exchange."

"You did?" Nell's eyes open impossibly wider and he's pretty sure she's blushing.

"You knew that would end badly, but you did it anyway."

Nell quickly looks down, not meeting his gaze. "I'm a little impulsive sometimes."

Callen's eyebrows go up. "A little?"

"Yeah, one of my many personality flaws. I seem to be demonstrating all of them today..."

Callen smirks but lets the comment slide. He steps past her and reaches up for the wayward balloon.

"Thanks," she says, automatically snipping the end after Callen hands it to her.

"So, what made you..." Callen gestures vaguely.

"Throw a party?" Nell finishes.

"Yeah."

Nell shrugs. "Special occasions should be celebrated. And, since Hetty's the Operation's Manager I figured something...significant would be appropriate."

"Well, I think this was significant," Callen muses, nodding at the trash bag full of balloon carcasses.

Nell smiles up at him and he can't help but grin back at her enthusiasm. "I think it worked out well, although the clean up was a little more than I had anticipated. _Maybe_ a couple hundred balloons was a bit much."

"Maybe."

They stare at each other in silence for a few moments.

"So..." they both start.

"You first," Callen says.

Nell nods. "Thanks. For earlier. For catching me, I mean."

He shrugs. "Don't mention it. But next time, a tilting, rolling chair is probably not your best choice."

Callen helps Nell wrap up—there isn't much left to do anyway—and they say their good nights.

He watches as Nell leaves the compound and shakes his head in wonder as he mentally replays the night's events.

"Yep," he says to himself. "Trouble _and_ in trouble."

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><p>End Part<p> 


	2. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

**Rating**: PG-13

**Spoilers: **02x05 – Little Angels

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><p>"Mr. Hanna? Mr. Callen?"<p>

Hetty's voice echoes off the compound walls but neither Callen nor Sam is dumb enough to reply. While Callen thinks it would have been amusing to see Sam endure the humiliation of having Hetty apply calamine lotion on Sam's backside, there are just some things partners don't need to share.

Plus, Hetty and examination gloves is enough to give anyone an uneasy feeling, no matter the reason.

So, they'd beat a hasty retreat and split up. Sam had undoubtedly gone home to deal with his problem in a more private setting.

Callen? He finds himself in Ops and he isn't alone.

Nell is still there, staring at pictures from their case, and she hasn't noticed him or acknowledged him if she knows he's there.

Callen pauses in the doorway and thinks back to earlier in the day. Normally, Nell is pretty enthusiastic and interacts with them during the course of a case. But, other than her initial comments on Commander Rehme's work, she was uncharacteristically silent.

Coming up beside her at the main table, he begins to understand why. Pictures of Amanda Rehme, trapped in the box, as well as the Maragos boys are spread before her.

Nell still hasn't acknowledged his presence and, after a long moment, Callen breaks the silence.

"Nell?"

Her head snaps up and he sees worry and fear in her eyes. Callen can tell she's not really looking at him, though, and it takes a few moments before she comes out of whatever reverie she's in.

Nell blinks a few times, slowly, and then it seems like she finally sees him. "Oh! Agent Callen. I didn't realize you were still here."

Callen gives her an easy going smile. "Call me G."

Nell frowns slightly, which makes Callen frown. Clearly, there's something else going on here.

He gestures at the pictures. "Something on your mind?"

"I... How..."

Nell's outright fidgeting now, wringing her hands and not quite meeting his gaze. Her behavior is erratic, but Callen's pretty sure it's due to the gruesome nature of the case. So, he stays quiet and gives Nell a chance to organize her thoughts.

"They're just boys," she finally says. "How...how could they?"

"How can anybody, regardless of age?" he counters.

Nell looks at him sharply as if she hadn't considered the question before. "I guess you're right. It's not as if murder is acceptable for, uh, anyone. I just..."

"This really bothers you, doesn't it?"

She doesn't reply, but she needlessly rearranges the pictures on the table, unable to keep still. Callen steps closer and puts a hand on hers. He can feel her nervous energy for a moment. Nell stops moving, but her eyes are on their hands, not on his face.

Callen speaks first. "After we found out what was really going on, you seemed uncharacteristically subdued."

"A child was missing."

Callen shakes his head. "No, this was something more."

Nell sighs softly, but she still won't look at him. "I just...I can't figure out why anyone, much less two kids, would go so far as to kill another child. She's only fourteen. And...to be buried alive, of all things. And there was the countdown Sam made us put up. And... It was...just...horrific."

"I won't sugar coat it. It is." Callen pauses for a moment and thinks, not for the first time, that Nate should be here. "Maybe you should talk to someone about it."

"I'm talking to you."

"I mean a professional."

Nell looks at him with a confused look for a moment. "Oh, you mean like Dr. Getz?"

It's Callen's turn to be confused. "You know Nate?"

Nell nods but doesn't elaborate. Callen realizes he's not entirely surprised. After all, Nate probably profiled her and how she'd fit in with the team before he left for wherever it was Hetty sent him.

"I don't think it will help," she suddenly says. "I mean, maybe a little, but in the end, if I want to do this job, I'm going to have to deal with all manner of crimes."

"True, but NCIS does have...resources," Callen says. "If you want."

"I'll keep that in mind, Agent Callen."

He raises an eyebrow slightly at the title, but she's looking at him with the earnest expression she normally wears. The moment draws out and it's just about to get uncomfortable when she suddenly turns, pulling her hand out from under his.

"I should put these back in the file," Nell explains, gathering up the photos, organizing them a dozen different ways.

Callen steps away from her and turns towards the door. "You can also talk to me," he tosses out casually. "If you want."

Nell's movements still but she doesn't say anything so Callen starts to leave. Her voice stops him between the automatic doors. "I'll keep that in mind, too...G."

Callen doesn't look back but smiles to himself as he makes his way out of the building.

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><p><strong>End Part<strong>


	3. Personal

**Personal**

**Rating:** PG-13 (for bad words)

**Spoilers:** 02x06 - Standoff

**Author's Notes:** For some reason, I found this part very difficult to write. Hopefully it reads well, though!

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><p>Rounding a corner on the upper level, Callen nearly runs right over Nell. There's an awkward moment when they both realize there's someone else there, they try to step out of each other's way—by moving in the same direction—and there's a lot of shuffling and gesturing and muttering going on until eventually Callen's had enough and he puts his hands on Nell's shoulders to make her stop.<p>

"Sorry," she breathes. "I was just trying out some new gear."

That's when he notices what's in her hands. It looks like a camera, but there has to be more to it.

"What's the trick?" he asks.

"A special infrared filter."

A beat passes but no further explanation comes. Callen raises an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Nell exclaims. "Um, x-ray."

"So...what were you x-raying?"

"Deeks."

Callen's eyebrows threaten to rise right off his face.

Nell clamps a hand over her mouth and a blush spreads across her cheeks. "I didn't mean it like that!" she finally says.

"Uh huh," Callen responds with a grin.

Nell rolls her eyes and points to the railing. "He's downstairs playing a street card trick with anyone willing to actually bet money on it. It's a total con, of course."

"And you can see the cards?"

She nods. "The output is even viewable remotely, but I can't figure out how to get someone to flip the con on him without tipping him off."

Callen's grin turns wider. "I think I can help with that."

"You can?"

He doesn't respond but pulls out his phone and fires off a quick text to his partner. Callen surreptitiously watches over the railing as Sam reaches for his phone. Of course, Sam doesn't look up, but Callen can see Sam smile just a tiny bit.

"Can you send the feed to Sam's laptop?"

"Uh, yeah. Right now I have it on an internal web-based interface."

Callen hands her his phone. "It's probably easier if you relay the address."

Nell nods and hands Callen the camera while she texts Sam. He flips the camera around and finds himself staring at his socks.

"Huh, I didn't notice that hole this morning," he murmurs.

"What?" Nell asks, still staring at his phone.

"Not important. Sam ready?"

The phone dings and Nell looks up, handing the phone back. "Yup."

"Great. This should be interesting." Callen hands Nell the camera back and turns to leave.

"What are you going to do?"

He turns back to her. "You'll see. You just be ready with the camera."

* * *

><p>The reverse con goes off without a hitch, of course. Nell very consciously has to make sure she doesn't give herself away.<p>

She's seen Callen in action a couple times, but this is the first time she really gets to see it up close, so to speak. Nell has to admit she's impressed with how he's able to get in on Marty's card trick and not give away that he was tricking Marty in return. Adding Kensi was a nice touch and Nell thinks the text Kensi received just moments before Callen "showed up" must have pulled her in on the con, too.

Nell feels a little bad for Marty, but not too much. After all, he'd been conning her fellow support staff for most of the morning anyway.

Hetty's arrival breaks up their little party and Nell's surprised when Hetty calls her out. Nell starts to believe just a little more that Hetty really does know all.

"X-ray cam was her idea," Callen says to refute Hetty's claim that he was corrupting her.

Nell's eyes lock with Callen's for a moment and she can't help but grin when he throws a wink at her. But then her eyes meet the disapproving look coming from Hetty and Nell hastily makes her exit.

But Nell doesn't feel too badly about the prank she just instigated because she's pretty sure Hetty also winked at her just before she turned away.

* * *

><p>The second Callen sees the woman in the video, he's suddenly somewhere else and many years ago. And now he's in the uncomfortable position of having to explain his involvement with Tracy to the whole team. Even though their marriage, and subsequent divorce, were part of their cover, it was all a little too close to reality—or what he thought could be reality—for Callen. He's still a little upset, and that surprises him.<p>

It's clear they need to figure out what Tracy wants from him, but she's put herself in way too public of a scenario. Callen starts to think Nell's right and Tracy isn't being very smart about much in this situation.

"How's Callen going to get inside?" Deeks asks. "There are news cameras everywhere and LAPD will be watching everything."

"Then I guess I'll have to go in through the front door and with their permission," Callen throws out. "She'd probably shoot me otherwise. She might still."

"The news crews always hook up to the local power grid." Nell brings up an electrical grid on the big screen. "We could use it to interrupt their signal. It should cause a short outage until the backups kick in."

"How short?" Sam asks.

"Maybe...30 seconds?"

"Mr. Beale, can you tap into the power grid from here?" Hetty inquires.

Eric shakes his head. "No, it has to be local."

"I can do it."

All eyes turn to Nell and Callen is surprised by her once again.

"Intelligence analyst and electrician?" Callen quips.

"It's...really not that hard."

"You've done this before?" he asks.

"Well...not this specifically, but I know I can."

He studies her for a moment. Nell's expression is earnest but not overconfident. In fact, it's because her smile has just the slightest hint of doubt that Callen believes her. To him, it means she realizes there's an inherent risk to her proposition, but ultimately it's something she should be able to accomplish.

"Okay. Grab your gear."

As Nell exits to prepare, Callen turns back to the big screen and studies Tracy's face. She looks just like she did the last time he saw her.

"Something you want to ask, Hetty?" He can feel her eyes on him.

"Not at all, Mr. Callen. I trust you know what you're doing."

"I hope so," he says before turning to leave. "I hope so."

Hetty's comment and his trip down memory lane ultimately make Callen a little grumpy. He's grateful for Nell's presence in the car because he's pretty sure Sam would have peppered him with uncomfortable questions otherwise. He'll likely have to answer them anyway, but he'd rather not address the issue at that moment.

Unfortunately, his desire not to talk about his past makes him deflect attention from himself more than he normally does and he ends up taking it out on Nell. He doesn't realize it until it's too late.

"She looks like she's running away from home," Callen quips as Nell gets out of the car. He's a little startled by the withering look she gives him.

Nell may be small and young, but she's definitely no runaway. At least, not with a hardhat, giant tool box and bag, and gun tucked into the back of her jeans. Callen's actually a little surprised to realize the weapon _doesn't_ seem out of place on her. There is, apparently, more to Nell Jones than he'd originally thought.

"Don't take candy from any strangers."

The comment just slips out automatically and Callen mentally kicks himself. Now is not the time to patronize her. Nell doesn't say anything back, though, just gives him another look, but this one is tinged with confusion. Or disappointment. Or something else.

"So," Sam's voice cuts in on Callen's thoughts. "Tracy Keller. What's her real name?"

Callen shakes his head, eyes still following Nell. "I only knew her as Tracy."

"What happened between you two?"

"Long story."

"Gimme the short version."

Callen turns to look at his partner. He really doesn't want to get into this right now, but he can't see a way out of it. Mentally, he sighs. Time to get to work.

* * *

><p>Callen returns to the compound much the way he left it: disgruntled. The day was filled with a series of things gone wrong, but there's one he wants to try to right.<p>

After dropping off his wardrobe, Callen hunts around for a few minutes before he finds Nell in one of the storage rooms that holds hard copies of some of the older cases. There are boxes stacked high against the walls and a portable table in the middle with a scanner and a laptop.

He leans on the door frame and observes. Nell's trying to reach one of the upper boxes and, while he could offer his assistance, Callen doesn't think it will help further his cause. So, he waits and watches.

He's entirely unsurprised when, eventually, she makes stairs out of some of the other boxes.

"I don't think we give you enough credit for how resourceful you are."

Nell jumps a little before whirling around, a hand tightly gripping a box, the other clutched to her chest.

"Sorry," Callen says, walking into the room. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He sees various emotions flit over her face but all she says is, "Oh."

"And, sorry," he continues, keeping his eyes on hers. "For earlier."

Callen's right next to her now and even though Nell's standing on a box, she's only a few inches taller than him.

He wants to say more, but he can't find the words. This case was uncomfortably personal for him and he doesn't appreciate Tracy leaving him to clean up the pieces—again. It was different when it was just him and her. This time it was the team—_his_ team. He's mature enough to know he was a bit of a dick. Sam understood it, even if he disagreed with Callen's behavior. Tracy deserved it. Nell? An innocent bystander, for all intents and purposes. Tracy would call it "collateral damage." Callen thinks that's bullshit.

Nell seems at a similar loss of words and their eyes lock. Neither say a word for what seems like a very, very long time.

Suddenly, she smiles and the room seems to brighten noticeably. The change in mood startles him so much that Callen involuntarily takes a step forward. Nell moves her hand from her chest to his shoulder to stop them from colliding.

"I got it." Her words echo from earlier.

Callen can't help but smile. "Yes, you do."

"Oh, I also have that thing you asked about."

Nell makes to step off the box and Callen automatically extends his hand to assist. She takes it without a second glance and he's surprised when Nell gives his hand a squeeze before letting go.

"While we were working on the money trail, forensics on Agent White's phone came in."

"Anything interesting come up?"

"It isn't White's phone."

Callen is entirely unsurprised. "Of course it's not."

Nell makes a humming noise and he turns to see her tapping her lip in thought.

"What now?"

"Well...I wasn't expecting her to make a move on the money so soon."

"Tracy was never very good at patience. So, what did you find?"

They're both leaning on the little table, looking at the laptop screen. Callen can't quite figure out what he's looking at but it soon becomes clear.

Callen sighs very audibly. "Really? Is she—? _Really_?"

"She...bought a boat?"

"She named it _Buddy_." Callen groans in frustration and hangs his head. It takes him a moment to register the fact that Nell's lightly patting his head and his lips twitch into a small smile. He turns his head to look at her. "I'm beginning to think you're right."

She's caught in his gaze, hand still on his head. "Uh...what?"

"She's not being very smart about this at all. It's like she wants me to— Oh, for— She _does_ want me to find her."

"She's baiting you?"

"Again."

"I can kind of see why you divorced her." Nell's typing away on the laptop now, not looking at him.

Callen eyes her critically, but she's not giving anything away. "For the record, it was the CIA's idea."

"I dunno," Nell muses. "You two did look like a happy couple."

And that's when he notices what she's brought up on the laptop. It's a wedding photo.

"You know, I was going to suggest you accompany us to the Grand Cayman Islands when we apprehend her in case we need any on-site computer forensics work, but I'm thinking that can all be done remotely, now."

Nell is completely surprised by his comment and jerks back from the laptop, eyes wide. Callen has no idea where that suggestion even came from and is startled himself, but he recovers faster than she does.

"Unfortunately, it'll be hard enough getting Hetty to authorize Sam and I to go get her."

An awkward silence falls between them and they're both studiously ignoring each other.

"I have to—" Nell starts.

"I should—" Callen interrupts.

She inclines her head, indicating he should speak.

"I should take this information to Hetty and get started on the process to bring Tracy in."

"I have to finish up a couple cases," Nell says, pointing to the boxes behind her. "Hetty wants to repurpose this room by the end of the year. It's not the Caymans..."

"But?"

"No but. It's...definitely not the Caymans."

Callen laughs softly. "No, it's not." Their eyes lock again and a silent conversation passes between them, although Callen's not entirely sure what it is. "Thanks for your help, Nell," he says as he turns to leave.

"Don't forget your sunscreen, Agent Callen," she calls after him.

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>


	4. Faces

**Faces**

**Rating: **PG

**Spoilers:** 02x07 - Anonymous

**Author's Notes**: My apologies for the slowness of my output. I hope to be a little quicker now. This episode didn't really give me much to go on. Le sigh. I've provided an episode summary at the end for those who may be fuzzy on it. It's been a while since it aired! Many thanks to the ever helpful **vegarin**, she makes my fic readable. ;)

* * *

><p>Callen shakes his head as he makes his way towards wardrobe. He can still hear Deeks pleading with Hetty, practically begging her to let them go out for drinks wearing the nice suits.<p>

To be honest, Callen's kind of glad. He's never liked tuxedos; the bow tie is just a smidgen too tight. It felt even tighter, earlier, when he'd been fighting off one of the terrorists. Funny how adrenaline and exertion did that to a person.

But, he hadn't dared loosen the tie—or removed it—when he was in the field. A little discomfort was nothing compared to what might have happened to him had he lost the black cloth.

A movement catches his eye and he slows as he's passing the bullpen area.

"You coming, G?"

Callen waves his partner off. "In a minute."

He walks towards the downstairs terminals and he finds Nell staring intently at the plasma TV. Except it's off. Callen pauses, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Nell?"

"Holy—!" Nell whirls around, one hand clutching at her chest. "A-Agent Callen! You startled me."

He can't help but smirk. "Sorry." Callen walks towards the young woman, hands in his pockets. He gestures at the TV with his chin. "You know that's off, right?"

"I'm aware," Nell says, giving him an exasperated look.

Callen's smirk turns into a grin. "So what are you looking at?"

Nell's eyes flick to the TV and then to the floor. Curious, he steps forward, glancing at the shiny screen, wondering if there is something to see other than his reflection.

"I was just wondering," Nell begins. She opens her mouth as if to say more, but nothing else comes.

"About?" he prods.

"Those men. The lengths they went through to change their faces."

"I don't follow..."

Nell sighs. "It's hard to explain. I mean, this is Los Angeles. Cosmetic surgeons are a dime a dozen and people change their features on a whim for no reason. These men, they had a reason. It was an insidious one, but it just makes me wonder what drives people to make those kinds of changes to their physical being."

"What can I say, people are strange," Callen muses. "Terrorists are no different just motivated differently."

Nell snorts. "That's one way of putting it."

He steps closer so he's standing right next to her. "But you still haven't answered the question."

"Hmm? Oh. Well." Nell hedges, scratching at the back of her head. "It's silly, but I was thinking about whether or not I could make a decision to change myself so much and, well, what I would change."

At this point, Nell looks back at the TV and pokes at her cheek with a finger.

Callen observes her for a moment and then leans down, his head beside hers, and watches her via their reflection. It takes a moment before she realizes he's staring and she meets his gaze on the TV surface.

"I wouldn't change a thing."

Nell whips her head around to face him, mouth gaping. Callen, watching her reaction via reflection, smirks before turning to face her.

And then he's the one taken by surprise because eye-level is a lot closer than he thought it was. Callen's staring directly into her hazel eyes and for a moment, he forgets, well, everything.

"I, uh, thanks?"

Nell's voice snaps him back to the present and he straightens up, blinking rapidly. He automatically transitions into a nonchalant stance to cover up the awkwardness of the moment. It works. Mostly.

"Nice tuxedo, by the way."

Nell's picking at the fabric of her dress, clearly nervous. Callen tries to give her a reassuring smile, but she's not actually looking at him so that doesn't really work. Clearly, their conversation is quickly heading to no-man's land and Callen doesn't really know how it got there or where it was going in the first place.

"Speaking of, I should get this back to wardrobe before Hetty starts charging _me_ for the loaner."

Callen reaches up to tug at the bow tie, now acutely aware of how snug it is, and frowns. There isn't nearly as much give as there should be. He turns to the TV, trying to see just exactly how he tied it in the first place.

"Erm, something wrong, Agent Callen?"

"Nothing I can't handle. Apparently I did too good of a job tying this bow tie."

Callen's so preoccupied fumbling with the backwards reflection on the screen that he doesn't even notice when Nell steps right up to him until he feels her batting his hands away.

"Here, let me."

Not that he can stop her at that point.

Callen goes utterly still, hands dropping loosely by his sides, and watches with a strange, detached curiosity as Nell attempts to un-knot the fabric. At one point, she tugs him down closer to her level, muttering something about being too short or him too tall—or both—and he can't help but marvel at her stubbornness. He's also mildly concerned for his well-being. Callen's pretty sure she's not going to let a bow tie beat her, no matter the cost.

"Ah ha!"

The pressure around his neck suddenly lessens and Callen feels the tie slip from around his neck. Nell presents it to him with a flourish and a smile.

"Thanks," he says, plucking the bow tie from her hands.

"Anytime," Nell replies. "It's getting late. I'll, uh, see you later, then."

"Good night, Nell."

"Good night."

Callen frowns as he watches her pretty much flee the building. He purses his lips as he looks at his reflection on the plasma TV surface, glances at the unfurled bow tie in his hand, and then in the direction Nell went.

"That was weird."

* * *

><p>Nell doesn't slow down until she reaches her car and only does so because she has to actually get in it. Once seated, she doesn't turn the ignition, but instead leans her forehead on the steering wheel, exhaling loudly.<p>

The whole exchange she just had with Callen had been very awkward. For some reason, he seemed to be able to catch her in her unguarded moments when she thinks no one else is around. First it was the balloon thing after Hetty's birthday surprise, then it was her nearly freaking out over those boys burying a girl alive, and then the whole situation with his sort of maybe kind of fake ex-wife.

Nell's not really sure why she left so quickly—okay, practically ran from him, if she's completely honest with herself. They were having a perfectly fine, if a little strange, conversation and then it just disintegrated into something else entirely.

She shakes her head as if it will help clear her thoughts.

"That was really weird."

Determined not to think anymore about it, Nell starts her car and makes her way home. Except she can't quite get rid of the image of a certain special agent in a very well fitting tuxedo from her mind. Nor can she forget the feel of her fingers brushing against his skin as she worked at the bow tie knot. And she can't help but wish she could have held onto the little thrill that jolted through her when they were looking right at each other, faces mere inches apart.

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary**

A cosmetic surgery nurse, Jillian, knows the new faces of 4 Mogadishu-based terrorists who had extensive facial reconstructive surgery from her husband, the doctor. Her husband and their friend at the State Department, whom she tries to deliver pictures of the men to, are both killed. The terrorists are attempting to kill people on a docked boat, the _Queen Mary_, with sarin gas. There's an event going on with many political figures and celebrities attending. Things that happen: Kensi beats Sam in simulated knife fighting; Kensi/Deeks go to the Malibu Medi-Spa to find Jillian where Deeks ends up getting pepper sprayed; one of the terrorists jumps off a building rather than being caught; Nell and Eric disagree on how to decipher a string of letters and numbers, eventually figuring it out by their powers combined; the team gets to dress up and attend the party on the ship where they save the day; Hetty makes the guys return their wardrobe when it becomes clear they're headed out to take advantage of how good they look.


	5. Paperwork

**Paperwork**

**Rating: **PG

**Spoilers: **02x08 – Bounty

**Author's Notes: **So, this was originally going to be something else and then it turned into "Paperwork." Again, this episode didn't really give me too much to work with directly, so I had to go the indirect route. I'm so sorry. :D Many thanks to **vegarin** who does a fantastic job of pointing out the little things. (Once again, I put a little episode summary at the end.)

* * *

><p>Nell looks up as Callen enters Ops.<p>

She almost drops the file she's holding.

"What happened to you?" she asks, eyes wide as they take in Callen's injuries.

"They're not real," Callen assures. "Well, I might have a Sam Hanna knee-sized bruise on my chest later but this," he explains, gesturing to his face. "Not real."

"It looks real."

Nell puts her file down on the big table and steps up to Callen, looking at him. This close, she realizes he's right. It may look like he's been hit in the face a few times, but only someone standing right next to him would be able to tell it's some cleverly applied paint.

Without realizing what she's doing, Nell reaches up and turns Callen's face to the side. "You really did a fake number on yourself, Agent Callen." When he doesn't respond, Nell's eyes lock with his and that's when she notices just how close she's standing. She drops her hand suddenly and takes a step back. "Um."

Callen's expression turns into a smirk. "Let's just say I've had the misfortune of having to perfect being beat up by Sam nine times, now."

"You keep count?"

"Have you met Sam? He claims to have a light touch, but trust me, he likes to make it look 'convincing.'"

Nell can't help but smile a little. Before she can say anything else, though, the Ops doors whoosh open and Sam strolls in.

"Brought you a present, G," he calls out, throwing something at Callen.

"Some people get flowers, I get a rag. Thanks, _partner_."

Sam just shakes his head. "Clean yourself up before you get any fake blood on your clothes."

"Perish the thought," Callen mutters as he starts wiping at his face and ear.

Nell looks up just in time to see Callen send an exasperated look Sam's way. She smiles at the partners' banter and idly wonders if she'll ever reach that kind of camaraderie with Eric. He's not really her partner—he's not a fellow analyst, per se—but they do work together often.

Sam turns to Nell. "Where's Eric?"

"Downstairs with Hetty."

"You know what would have gone well with this rag?" Callen interrupts.

"Flowers?" Sam answers sarcastically.

"A mirror, Sam, so I know what I'm cleaning up."

"You missed a spot."

Nell notices that Sam is positioned on the other side of the main table but she doesn't miss Callen's eyes sweep across its surface, clearly looking for something to throw at the other agent. But then she gets distracted by the spot Callen missed.

"It's by your ear," she offers, pointing on her face where he missed.

She watches in fascination as Callen wipes at every spot _except_ the part he needs with the rag. She shakes her head at him and Nell can hear Sam sigh.

Callen makes another couple unsuccessful swipes with the rag before Nell gets fed up. She takes the rag out of his hands, and banishes the spot of fake blood once and for all. Then, she grips his chin in her hand and turns his head to the other side just to make sure.

"There." She smiles up at Callen and is caught off guard by the odd expression on his face.

Nell doesn't have any time to react, though. Eric strolls through the doors, tapping on his tablet and throwing pictures up on the big screens. Her previous task finished, Nell puts the rag on the table and moves to the side screen, sifting through the various photos Eric's dumped there.

She totally misses Sam's raised eyebrow at Callen and Callen's shrug back to his partner.

* * *

><p>It's late and Callen knows he should go home, but he also knows Hetty and despite her being delighted at the tea they brought back, she'll have his hide if their expense reports aren't completed in a timely fashion. After collecting receipts, he'd sent Sam home to his family hours ago. His partner doesn't like to be away any longer than he absolutely has to.<p>

Callen's just started slogging through the forms, slouching further and further into his chair, when he hears Hetty's voice.

"Good night, dear."

He looks up, but she's not referring to him and he can't see who she's talking to. When she passes into his field of view, Hetty merely nods at him before departing for the evening. A few moments later, he's surprised to see Nell Jones walk past, a file folder open in her hands.

"Burning the midnight oil, Nell?"

Nell walks towards him, giving him a tired smile. "I could say the same of you."

"My reason just walked out of the building."

"Mine is in your hands."

Callen looks down, then back up. "You're not seriously going to wait for me to finish these forms, are you?"

Nell's face breaks into a grin. "Nah. The credit card data won't be processed for another couple days anyway, but Hetty wanted me to start learning the ins and outs of expense reporting."

Callen's silent a long moment while he regards Nell. "She's going to make you hound me for this until it's done, isn't she?"

"You better believe it."

He shakes his head and laughs softly. "And international travel always has just that extra layer of bureaucracy, too."

"She said it'd be a good example," Nell agrees, nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, and she said to make sure you could account for all the petty cash."

Callen rolls his eyes. "Of course she did."

"I do find it amusing that she trusts you guys enough to travel halfway across the globe to apprehend Khan but not to fill out your expense reports accurately."

"The many mysteries of Hetty Lange," Callen muses, tapping his pen on his desk. "She's a master of fieldwork _and_ paperwork. She knows where our strengths are."

"And knows you'd skip out on the paperwork if you could get away with it?"

"Got it in one, Miss Jones."

Callen smiles at Nell's laughter. It's a pleasant sound and one he's glad to hear after a gruesome case and two back-to-back long flights.

"Why isn't Sam helping you with this?"

"The joys of being the team leader."

"But, it seems like he'd do pretty well with the forms and stuff."

"That's kind of why I don't let him do some of the paperwork," Callen hedges. "He's a little obsessive about it."

"Oh," Nell says, eyes cast up to the ceiling as if in thought. "Come to think of it, his field reports do seem to always win the weight test."

Callen snickers. "I'm convinced the only reason his reports aren't hardbound novels is because Hetty would never approve the cost and we have other cases."

"So, Hetty doesn't trust you to do the paperwork correctly and you don't trust Sam to do it, either?"

"Something like that."

"But you trust him with your life."

"Absolutely."

Nell's quiet for a moment and Callen wonders what's going through her mind.

"Well, at least it seems like you guys have your priorities in order," she finally says with a wide smile.

"If, at the end of the day, the only thing we have to worry about is finishing up paperwork, I think we're doing okay," Callen agrees.

"Indeed. Well, I should get going."

"Have a good night, Nell."

"You, too, Agent Callen. Oh, and I'll let you know when the card data comes in."

"My life, or at least my expense report, won't be complete without it."

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary**

Thomas Booth sends a birthday card to his estranged son, Brandon. Thomas is later found dead. He's former Delta Force and his group used to take out terrorists they found via tips from various sources. He's retired, but he'd gotten one last tip on a Taliban bomb maker. Turns out his brother-in-law, Jafar Khan, killed Thomas to keep the bounty for himself. Interesting things that happen: Deeks and Brandon bond over father issues. Deeks reveals he's never lived further than 2 miles away from his childhood home. Callen indicates this is the 9th time he and Sam have done the "agent betrays his partner" routine, implying Callen's always the one being betrayed. Deeks and Kensi have some trust issues - Deeks won't let her use his gun much less touch it. Hetty spins a tale about how Callen and Sam learned to trust each other involving an Armenian mob and Callen having to shoot Sam (the gun wasn't loaded). At the end, Deeks explains why he likes his gun (the manual safety of the Barreta 92FS saved him when a junkie grabbed it once and he knows he can put a bullet in a chamber to use if the magazine jams) and offers it to Kensi but she declines. Sam and G go to Afghanistan to intercept Khan and they were only able to on the promise of tea for Hetty.


	6. Tension

**Tension**

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** 02x09 - Absolution

**Author's Notes:** To all of you who have left comments or added alerts: thank you! It's very heartwarming knowing you guys like what I'm writing. I was hoping to get more chapters out a little quicker but that didn't quite work out with this one. This piece is longer than the rest, too, and gave me quite a few issues—it seemed to take a life of its own and all my planning kind of went out the window. An infinite number of thanks to **vegarin** for helping me through them!

* * *

><p>Callen gives Hetty one last glance before heading back to the bullpen to collect his teammates. He still doesn't feel right leaving her alone, and not just because Mattias had tried to shoot her. He can't claim to know Hetty extremely well—no one does—but even he can tell this case is causing her some level of distress.<p>

"Hetty has plans, so we won't be the Magnificent Seven after all," he announces. "We all ready?"

"I, uh, I think I'm gonna stay here," Eric replies, not quite looking him in the eye. "I have a few things I want to check up on."

Callen nods as he grabs his jacket. He's known Eric long enough to be aware of the fact that he sometimes doesn't like to be social, especially after that incident with Abby. "The Furious Five, then."

Deeks frowns in disappointment. "Oh, come on, we're all going."

Eric smiles, a little too brightly. "Maybe next time."

"Have a good night, Eric," Sam says, giving the young tech a hearty pat on the back, making him stumble.

"At least this means we can take one car," Callen remarks. "It'll be a little cozy, but we'll fit."

"Since you're the only designated driver, that works out, G."

They file out of the building and Callen's amused to see Nell animatedly talking with Kensi, leading the pack. This is the first time the analyst has been invited out with the agents and it'll be interesting to see what happens to the group dynamics with another woman amongst them.

They take the Mercedes since it's a little roomier. With Kensi calling shotgun, that leaves Deeks and Sam to sit in the back with Nell and they definitely wouldn't have fit in the Aston Martin.

"Everyone buckled up back there?" Callen asks, adjusting the rear-view mirror and catching Nell's eye. She'd ended up in the middle.

"Uh, not quite," she answers. "I, um, well. I can't find the seat belt, much less buckle it, without digging into some squishy bits."

Almost in unison, Deeks and Sam unbuckle themselves and step out of the car. Kensi twists in her seat to look at Nell and engages in some distinctly un-Kensi-like giggling.

It'll definitely be an interesting night.

"Okay, I'm all ready," Nell announces.

Sam and Deeks get back in the car and there's an awkward pause when they try to re-buckle up.

"Wait, how did we do this in the first place without touching your squishy bits?" Deeks asks.

Silence falls over the car.

"Why does that sound so much worse coming out of my mouth?"

All of them start chuckling. Shaking his head, Callen watches as Deeks and Sam contort before buckling up, both of them avoiding a potential sexual harassment situation.

"This definitely wasn't in the compliance training," Nell mutters.

Callen and the other agents groan.

"What compliance training?" Deeks asks.

"You don't want to know," Callen answers, starting the car and backing out of the facility now that everyone is secured.

"No, really. I want to know."

"NCIS employees all have to go through various kinds of compliance training," Sam explains. "Sexual harassment is one of them. There's usually some awful dramatization, lecture, and then a quiz."

"It wouldn't be so bad if the dramatizations weren't so terrible," Nell adds. "I mean, most of it is common sense, but like my father says, 'Sometimes common sense just isn't so common'."

"Yeah, it's partly CYA and partly making sure the issue is addressed," Sam interjects. "We joke about it, but unfortunately sometimes people do go too far."

"Huh. I think LAPD has a similar kind of thing, but being undercover so much usually means I miss a lot of the team bonding fun like that." Deeks pauses for a moment. "You'd tell me if I was crossing a line, right Kensi?"

Callen speaks before Kensi can answer. "Nah, she'd just kick you in the _nom de plumes_."

"Ouch, that's cold, Callen."

"Am I wrong?" Callen looks to Kensi for an answer, but she turns away and starts nibbling on her thumb.

"Oh, come on, Kensi. Please. Tell me you wouldn't," Deeks pleads. "I will give you my weapon and you can pistol whip me with it just...no field goal practice with my junk, okay? Please?"

Laughter erupts from the team again and Callen is still grinning by the time they pull into the bar parking lot.

It's busy for a weekday night but that's not necessarily a bad thing; they can lose themselves in the throng of people if they need. As they enter the building, he automatically assess the crowd, catalogs the exits, and takes in the overall atmosphere of the place, checking for negative undercurrents. It's second nature and he sees Sam, Kensi, and Deeks do the same.

Callen immediately looks to Nell and is surprised at the expression on her face. She's very clearly analyzing the people and the room. It makes complete sense, given what she does for a living, but she's not an agent, so her methods are different. It's somehow comforting, knowing she has good instincts.

They're able to find a curved booth near the back where it's a little quieter so they don't have to yell to hear each other. Callen ends up in the middle with Nell and Sam to his right and Kensi and Deeks to his left.

Drinks are ordered and after about half an hour, conversation flows more freely as they all start to relax just a bit. Callen sips his water and leans back, surveying the group. He finds he's not scanning the crowd as often, looking for some unknown, likely non-existent threat. Sam's even slouching a little, smiling freely as he regales the table with his latest tales of fatherhood. (Callen's only half listening, just to make sure the bits that involve him are accurate.)

Deeks is actually paying attention, not interjecting with wisecracks at every opportunity—a sure sign he's unwinding and enjoying the company of their group. Kensi, too, is loosening up. Her shoulders are less rigid and she's leaning back against the booth, angled towards Deeks, grinning at Sam's story. Nell's openly laughing and joking with them while looking at pictures of Sam's kids.

"Ooh, can I see?" Kensi asks when Nell makes like she's going to return the pictures to Sam.

"Sure." And then Nell's reaching across Callen's body, holding out the pictures, showing Deeks and Kensi her favorite one.

Callen notices Sam staring at him and rolls his eyes when the other man flicks his gaze between Nell and him. "I've had my training," Callen points out.

"What?" Nell looks up in question and Callen's momentarily startled because she's actually a lot closer than he realized. Her eyes widen when she notices she's leaning over him and Callen can't help but throw her a wink. Nell blushes and sits back abruptly, muttering an apology.

"You all need another round of drinks?" a waitress asks, interrupting the table.

They all look at each other, but none of them are really in the mood to get blitzed. After all, they will likely have another round of international espionage subterfuge and run-around tomorrow.

"I think we're good," Callen answers for them all.

"All right, then," she responds with a nod.

As the waitress starts to move past their table, a large group heads the other way and she's forced to flatten herself against the booth, trapped right by Sam.

"Sorry, sweetie."

"No problem," he replies with a polite smile. "It's busy tonight."

Callen's surprised to feel Nell scoot closer to him, their hips touching. She's clearly making room for Sam and it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Thanks," Sam mutters, inching over.

When the waitress leaves, Sam sits back in his original position but Nell's still tucked against him. He doesn't really mind, but he doesn't have a chance to ruminate more on the feeling.

"Who's up for darts?" Deeks suddenly announces.

"I thought that group would never leave," Kensi exclaims. She makes shooing motions at Deeks who obligingly gets out of the booth and heads to the newly freed dartboard. "Anyone else? It can't just be me and Deeks."

"Oh, no, not me. I suck at darts," Nell declares.

"You up for it, G?"

Callen thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. "I'm not feeling it tonight, you go ahead."

"You're just sore because you lost last time," Sam scoffs.

Which is sort of true, but Callen isn't about to admit it. "Uh huh. I _let_ you win," he calls out. A bit too late, though, because Sam's already ignoring him in favor of joining Kensi and Deeks and their grand battle of rock-paper-scissors for throwing order.

It takes him several moments before he realizes Nell's spinning her rum and coke glass around and studying the table intently. Since they're sitting so close, he actually feels it when she pulls in a deep breath, her posture straightening. Her lips move as if she's going to speak, but nothing happens.

"You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh. I was just— Thanks," she responds and then stops, shoulders drooping.

"For what?" He's caught off guard by Nell's sudden change in mood. They're alone at the table and while the conversation should have been more personal, it's as if she's withdrawn into herself, protecting herself from something.

"For inviting me out with you guys."

Her tone makes him believe she doesn't think she belongs with them, that Kensi was only being nice in inviting her. Callen gives her what he hopes is an easy-going smile and nudges her shoulder playfully. "You're a part of the team, Nell."

"Still. You guys are field agents and I don't remember seeing Eric go out with you guys previously."

"Eric isn't always in the mood for places like this." Callen nods at the full bar. "And I get that. More often than not, I'm not, either."

"So why do you still go?"

Callen looks down at her and searches her eyes. He wonders if he was ever that young. And then wonders whether Hetty thinks the same, looking at _him_. "Because sometimes it's better to bury the day with friends than it is to think about it in solitude. Besides, it really is nice to be able to unwind with people who have gone through the same thing you have. You don't have to explain anything or speak in vague generalities."

"That makes sense."

"Whoo! Beat that!" Deeks's voice carries over to them.

Deeks is doing the world's strangest happy dance. Nell leans into him as she tries to get a better look at the dartboard without actually standing. He doesn't realize it until it happens, but he moves his right arm to rest on the booth cushion behind her which turns him towards her. Her hair tickles his chin and he frowns slightly, surprised by how close they are. He should move away, because he really doesn't know her that well and weren't they just talking about possible sexual harassment situations? But there's something oddly comforting about their proximity. They're touching, but it's not intimate. It's just nice.

"Go Marty!" Nell calls out.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Kensi tosses back.

"Sorry, Kens, us new people have to stick together," Deeks replies, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Trumps the girl card, every time."

Kensi leans way out of Deeks's reach, arching an eyebrow at him, and a look of concern briefly flashes across his face.

"Kick his ass, Kensi!" Nell yells.

"Hey!"

Kensi laughs and then expertly throws a dart that lands dead center in the bull's eye, knocking Deeks's dart to the floor. "Nothing trumps the girl card, Deeks."

Deeks pouts, but Kensi playfully hip-bumps him out of the way, giving Sam his turn.

"Who do you think—" Nell abruptly stops when she turns to face him. He's pretty sure she's caught off guard by how close he is and, to be honest, he's curious what she'll do, if anything.

Callen studies her for a long moment, taking in her wide eyes, the heightened color in her cheeks, and the slight smile on her features. She stares right back at him, her expression completely open, and it makes him a little uncomfortable. Just when the silence is about to become awkward, he slowly leans back just a few inches. "What was that?"

"Um, what? Oh." Nell's back to studying the table. "Who do you think will win?"

Deliberately, and carefully, Callen turns back to his original position, introducing a little bit of space between them. "Hmm, it depends on how this plays out. Sam's holding back."

"Really?" She's looking at him again, but she's returned to her normal, bright disposition.

Callen nods. "He'll play well enough to give them a challenge, but if either of them gets too cocky he'll put them in their place."

In the end, Deeks wins, but just barely. Kensi's last throw hits the bull's eye wire and bounces off the board. Deeks is at least gracious enough not to have too big of a victory dance. At least not while Kensi's watching.

"You're off your game tonight, big guy," Callen says with a grin as the trio returns to the table.

"Must have pulled something climbing over the fence at Renner's," Sam retorts.

"Congrats, Marty." Nell toasts him with a glass of water.

"It was all luck." Deeks is downplaying his win but Callen can tell the man is pleased. And, judging by the look on Kensi's face, she's not at all upset at the loss.

"We ready to go?" Callen asks, checking his watch.

Nods and sounds of assent echo around the table.

"I'll go settle the bill," Deeks says. "Meet you guys out front."

As they make their way out of the bar, Callen doesn't notice how closely he's following Nell until she suddenly stops to avoid a clearly drunk patron and he runs right into her. His hand shoots out to brace against the wall and he's kind of curled around her. His other hand lands on her shoulder to stop his momentum. He feels her freeze and he wonders if he should make a comment about compliance training. Callen's surprised when she relaxes and he can feel her actually lean _into_ him just a tiny bit. Maybe.

"You're the one that didn't drink, G, you shouldn't be the one stumbling," Sam remarks from behind him, breaking his train of thought.

He turns his head to reply. "Unexpected drunk person crossing."

Nell leans around him and adds, "This is their natural habitat, after all."

The path clears and they continue their trek to the exit. The cool night air is refreshing, though he can see Nell shiver. "Cold?"

"Definitely colder than in there," she replies, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Want my jacket?" Kensi offers.

"No, I'll be okay," Nell assures, but she's still visibly shivering.

Callen and Sam exchange a look. Without another thought, Callen removes his jacket and drapes it around Nell's shoulders.

"Um, thanks," she says.

"No problem," Callen answers. He picks up a corner of the jacket and fishes out the car keys. "I'll go get the car."

"I'll come with you, G."

Sam falls into step beside Callen and the partners don't say anything for several steps.

"You still worried about Hetty?" Sam asks.

They've been partners long enough that Callen shouldn't be surprised when Sam picks up on his moods and the reasons for them, but he always is. "She's being cagier than usual."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"You and me both, buddy." Silence falls between them again. "Did you let them win?"

Sam scoffs. "Not really. Deeks is actually pretty good."

Callen nods in agreement. "He is. On a lot of things."

By the time they pull up to the front of the bar, Deeks has joined their group and everyone scrambles into the car. This time, since Sam is in the front passenger seat, Kensi and Nell make Deeks sit in the middle.

"I hate sitting in the middle," Deeks mutters.

"I always get the middle," Nell counters.

Kensi jabs Deeks with her seat belt buckle.

"Ow, you just poked me in a squishy bit, Kens! That's harassment!"

"Please, you're such a baby."

"This is no laughing matter, Kensi. In fact— Ow!"

Nell's giggling makes Callen and Sam exchange another look, this one amused. Callen can't help but grin as Sam rolls his eyes.

"Don't make me come back there," Sam warns.

"Nell just poked me!"

"I don't care," Sam answers in a tone Callen can only describe as his "diplomatic father" tone.

"This is why I hate sitting in the middle," Deeks grumbles.

Callen sighs. "Do you think Hetty ever feels this way about us?"

Kensi suddenly flips her head from side to side, whipping Deeks in the face with her hair.

"What was that for?" Deeks whines, spluttering and swiping at strands of Kensi's hair on his face.

"I swear I expected her to pop up and say something like, 'Everyday, Mr. Callen,'" she replies.

Callen barks out a laugh and the rest of them follow suit.

"How does she do that? I mean seriously, she just shows up out of nowhere sometimes," Deeks muses.

Speculation about Hetty's ninja-like abilities abound as Callen mentally determines the most efficient drop-off route while not exposing them to possible compromise. One by one, team members leave the car until it's just him and Nell. She moves up front after Sam leaves.

There's no conversation between them for several blocks.

"I'm worried about Hetty," Nell blurts out.

Callen casts her a sidelong glance. "I am, too."

Nell sighs. "I mean, you guys have known her longer, but she's given me so many great opportunities since I've been here and—I just don't like seeing her like this. It's not right."

"I agree, but getting her to let us help her is like pulling teeth." Callen drums his fingers on the steering wheel. "She said something today that bothered me."

"What?"

"She basically admitted that she was deliberately trying to keep us all at arm's length."

"So, she doesn't want our help?"

Callen shakes his head, but it isn't an answer. "She also said that because we wouldn't let her keep us away she wasn't in this fight alone, but sometimes I wonder."

"You think she's going to get into more situations like today where she's in danger but none of us know where she is?"

"Yup."

Nell shifts in the passenger seat and he can feel her eyes on him. He turns to look at her for a moment and he's pinned by the intensity of her gaze.

"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen."

Callen's lips quirk at her conviction and determination. He turns his eyes back to the road and nods. "Yes, we will."

The rest of the drive to Nell's apartment is conducted in silence, but it isn't uncomfortable. They're both absorbed in their own thoughts. As he pulls up to the curb, Nell shrugs out of his jacket and folds it over her arm.

"Thanks for the ride and the jacket," she says, smiling at him when the car comes to a stop. "And the good time."

"Anytime, Nell," Callen answers, taking the jacket from her as she gets out of the car. He waits until she disappears from his sight before heading home.

Callen's thoughts are spinning for the entire drive—to Hetty and what might have happened if they hadn't been able to track her down today. To how she seemed resigned to have Mattias shoot her—wanted it, even. It's easy to draw parallels between her and Cole's desire for Hetty to finish what she started. Hetty's been in the intelligence community a long time. She's seen and done so many things, it shouldn't, can't, be a surprise that she might be more than a little tired of it. And yet he is.

His thoughts then turn to one nearly always bright-eyed intelligence analyst. Callen smiles to himself as he pulls into his neighborhood. He's glad they invited Nell out with them. She's become an integral part of their team. Not only does she provide Eric with some much needed support, but she also has her own skill set that seems to mesh well with OSP. She's meticulous and tenacious; Callen has no doubt Nell will go far in their world.

Idly, Callen wonders if, years down the line, Nell will face choices that will ultimately put her on the same path Hetty took many years ago. He can easily see it and it's a little fascinating thinking he might be witnessing a Hetty Lange in the making. At the same time, if Nell is on the path to a highly successful intelligence career, he hopes she won't take the opportunity. He can't imagine a Nell with Hetty's experience and the cynicism that comes with years of subterfuge and deception, not to mention the solitude. Logically he knows she'll reach a point where she knows more than she ever wanted to—he's seen glimpses of it already, given the nature of their work—but he hopes, for her sake, the turning point doesn't come for many, many years.

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, Callen tries to relax. Going out with the team had been a good idea and while he'd enjoyed himself, his brain was still working overtime, which will most likely lead to getting even less sleep than normal.

Entering the house, he strolls into the kitchen and tosses his keys on the counter. He starts to think about the pitfalls of the work they do. Intelligence, especially when it involves the high stakes of national—and sometimes global—security, is a lonely job. Information is both valuable and deadly; trust is a rare commodity. Those qualities aren't great for relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Callen chooses to be alone personally. He imagines Hetty made the same choice many years ago. Sam was able to find the time to have a family, but he knows his partner isn't happy juggling the dual duty of patriot and husband/father. Kensi thinks she doesn't need anyone, but he's glad she's partnered with Deeks for those rare times when she does—whether she admits to it or not. Even Eric has a coping mechanism in the form of an extensive group of online friends as well as surfer buddies.

Callen thought Nell would be like Eric. They both have a similar, technology-heavy background, but it didn't take long for Nell to establish her own personality. NCIS found her due to her ability to gather and analyze data into meaningful patterns and conclusions. But unlike Eric, she's more hands-on, she doesn't always prefer to find information electronically and remotely. The times she's gone in the field with them, she was eager and enthusiastic, unafraid of digging into the heart of things to get what she needed. Just like a certain Operations Manager.

But they're all still very invested in the job and this case has revealed the kind of co-dependent relationship that forms when one is in the business long enough. He's convinced that's the reason why, on more than one occasion, Hetty has booted them out of the building and encouraged them to "get a life." No doubt she's had many opportunities to reflect upon her choices and she's telling them they shouldn't model their lives after her. Callen gets that and he's even gotten the same lecture from Gibbs. But it isn't just the job that makes him wary. He's experienced too much turmoil and uncertainty in his life that despite the wishes of others, he doesn't really know what it means to "settle down," isn't sure if he really wants to or if he can.

Callen wanders into his living room and settles into the chair, closing his eyes in an attempt to rest, though he knows he won't. His thoughts turn once more to Nell. She seemed genuinely surprised when Kensi invited her out with them and disbelieving when he told her she was part of the team. He makes a mental note to encourage Kensi to engage Nell outside of work, possibly even involve Eric and Deeks. Hell, maybe he'll even purposefully suggest some more group outings though it's not really his thing. Nell's just starting out; there's no reason she should get cornered into the solitary lifestyle they've all fallen into and if he can do anything, even something small, to make the lifestyle easier, it's probably worth it.

Callen doesn't even consider the fact that maybe he just likes her company.

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode summary**

First part of a two parter. Old-school Cold War era spying! This is the episode we find out about Hetty's "husband". Sebastian Renner is killed. He supposedly had a little black book of spy secrets given to him by Bernstrom Kohl aka Branston Cole after smuggling Cole into the country. International intelligence agents start swarming the city looking for it. Cole is at a nursing him and Hetty poses as his wife to try to get information, but it's clear there's a very complicated emotional attachment between them, mostly for her. Things that happen: Kensi kicks a dude in the nuts. Nell and Eric figure out the microdots. Mattias, another German spy, shows up and is about to shoot Hetty when Sam shoots Mattias in the arm. This is the first time Nell's invited out for drinks with the team (Kensi doesn't want to be the only woman). Hetty goes back to the nursing home and Cole has been killed, as well as a security guard and a nurse. TBC.


	7. Dependability

**Dependability**

**Rating: **PG-13

**Spoilers:** 02x10 – Deliverance

**Author's Notes:** My apologies for taking so long with this one. I'm not sure why I had such massive writer's block, but there it is. Thank you all for the encouraging feedback, it means a lot! Once again, many thanks to my lovely beta **vegarin** who catches the bits that need fixing and makes my fic better.

* * *

><p>Russians. It's always the Russians.<p>

Callen has been wondering when they'd show up and he isn't disappointed. It still makes him uneasy. Russians are resourceful when it comes to spycraft but there's a new, more brutal breed in their midst.

He's not entirely surprised when he can't find Hetty to tell her the "good" news. But, his internal threat meter skyrockets when he can't find Nell.

Callen's tried calling, left voicemails, and sent numerous texts. Both women are conspicuously incommunicado. Just when he's about to ask Eric to track their phones, he hears his text tone.

"Finally."

"_At Sander Lee's. Hetty just left._"

Callen's eyebrows rise. Nell doesn't go in the field often and she's never been left been at a location by herself.

"_Watch your back. The Russians have joined the fray. Check in every half hour._"

"_Protocol is every hour..._"

"_I meant with me. A lot can happen in an hour._" As an afterthought, he adds: "_It's hard enough keeping up with Hetty._"

Callen stares at his phone, waiting.

"_Got it._"

He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding—he half expected her to fight him on it. Nell makes a point of being self-sufficient, going so far as to decline offers of any sort of assistance. He knows she's capable of taking care of herself, but there's just too much going on to leave anything to chance.

* * *

><p>Nell frowns at her phone for a long moment before putting it back in her pocket and resuming her search for something, <em>anything<em>, at Sander Lee's.

At first, she'd bristled when Callen told her to check in with him. Actually, she's pretty sure she would have been overly upset at the request even yesterday, before she went out with them and Callen reassured her she really was part of the team.

But the fact that he'd told her to watch herself means he's concerned for her safety. They know Hetty is of special interest to the international intelligence agents that have shown up and it stands to reason that her being seen with Hetty might make her a target, too.

So, she'd put her pride aside and agreed to check in with Callen more often than protocol dictated. It's not a bad idea, really. She's out on her own and there are many parties involved. There's no telling what could happen in a short amount of time.

Nell attempts to focus on the task at hand but she can't help but feel anxious. Hetty's counting on her to find something and Nell doesn't want to disappoint. It just would have helped if the operations manager had known what she was looking for in the first place.

Sighing, Nell starts poking through the many books and papers lying around, pushing aside the feeling of looming disappointment. She knows she sometimes tries a little too hard, but given the company she keeps, it isn't entirely her fault.

Hetty is a legend amongst the intelligence community. All of the agents are highly trained with reputations that precede them—even if they are in vague terms to keep their identities safe. Eric works technological miracles on a daily basis. Even Marty, who isn't NCIS-trained but comes from LAPD, is exceptional at what he does—after all, he caught Hetty's eye with his skills.

Nell can't be the weakest link. If she can't hold her own, prove she's an asset to the team, she may as well look for another job. Their world is too high-stakes for her to be anything but absolutely the best intelligence analyst they could ever have.

It didn't take long for her to realize just how important their work was and how dangerous. The agents' lives are at risk on a near daily basis and every case has dire consequences if they can't solve it.

Nell knows she has it easy, comparatively. So she works hard and tries to stay ahead of every situation. She digs deeper than she has to, questions everything. She knows her behavior can be a little grating—sometimes she gets on her own nerves. But it's worth it. Hanging out with the agents showed that her efforts paid off and they trust her. There's no way she's going to let them down now.

"No pressure, Nell."

She throws her hands up in frustration. She's been through Lee's things at least three times. If there'd been anything there, someone else has gotten to it (the thought more than irks her). Time to move on.

"_Nothing at Lee's. Going to Renner's._"

It isn't quite time to check in with Callen but she knows she'll be en route to Renner's house when it is. She doesn't want to lose the tenuous thread of dependability she'd worked so hard to earn.

"_Thanks. Hetty's here, now. Be safe._"

"_I will._"

Nell smiles as she grabs her things and heads out. It really is kind of sweet that Callen cares. Part of her rationalizes that he'd do the same for anyone else on the team. But there's another, much smaller, less vocal part of her that really wants to get his attention and gain his approval.

* * *

><p>The moment Nell Jones walks back into Ops, Callen physically feels a little bit of anxiety leave him. And then his spirit is immediately lifted when she smiles brightly, producing the key to Renner's safe deposit box.<p>

Catching her eye, he nods and returns her smile. He's glad she's back, and it's not because he thought she couldn't do the job. Callen just doesn't like unknowns (and he understands his lack of knowledge of his past is the biggest irony of all). Not knowing all the players or where his people are at any given time makes the knot in his gut twist tighter.

Now isn't the time to focus on all the things he doesn't know, but on what he does. Nell's back and safe. Renner has a safe deposit box and they have the key. They're running out of time and an unknown number of intelligence personnel are encroaching on their space and causing mayhem.

"Need to get into that bank, Eric."

* * *

><p>The clock is ticking and Nell doesn't have nearly enough time much less usable microdots. Kensi's life is almost literally in her hands and she's trying desperately not to think about it. The building is busy, as it normally is, but she can't afford to be distracted. So she sits at a workbench, magnifying glasses on, and tries to concentrate.<p>

Slowly—too slowly—the first microdot is placed. She inadvertently looks at the clock and cringes.

"This is taking too long."

Sighing softly, she hunkers down and gets to work on the next one. Again, she's able to place it, but it takes even longer than the first one.

The third dot is in pretty bad shape to begin with. It doesn't help when it rips.

"Dammit!"

Nell takes the headgear off and rubs her eyes. She can feel a headache coming on and it fills her with dread. She doesn't have time for this. _Kensi_ doesn't have time for this.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she tilts her head from side to side, attempting to relax a little, and rolls her shoulders. She blinks a few times, giving her eyes some movement, and that's when she realizes there's virtually no foot traffic near her. She looks around in confusion.

"I figured you could do without the added distraction," Callen says from behind her.

Nell spins around, mouth agape. "What did you do?"

He's leaning against the workbench table, looking as relaxed as she wishes she was. "Not much. I just asked the support staff to take a different route through this area."

"I—thank you. I really appreciate it."

"How's it going?"

Nell's shoulders droop. "I ripped one."

"That's unfortunate. I should let you get back to work."

She presses her lips together, trying not to let the situation get to her. But she keeps going back to the fact that Kensi's depending on her. The whole team is. She isn't sure she can do it.

"Hey."

Nell looks up at Callen's voice and stops short. He's standing right in front of her, a whole lot closer than he was just a moment ago, and he's looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"You can do this."

"But what if I can't?" The admission comes out quietly, almost a whisper.

The corner of Callen's mouth turns up slightly. "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary."

Nell turns away, unable to hold his gaze. The feel of Callen's hand on her shoulder startles her and her head whips up.

"You got this," he assures. "I know you do. More importantly, I know _you_ know you do. Forget about the case and the circumstances, just focus on what you need to do."

She nods, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Nell smiles up at him when he squeezes her shoulder.

"I got this."

* * *

><p>Today had been a close one and Callen is still anxious. They've wrapped up the case and gone back to the compound, but he still can't shake the feeling that things aren't over. He takes a step back, literally, and assesses the team.<p>

Sam's edgy, checking his phone—his personal phone—often. No doubt he's texting with various members of his family and, judging by the occasional smirk, annoying the crap out of his kids.

Kensi's sitting at her desk and Deeks is finding every excuse possible to wander over so he's not just staring at her across the bullpen. Callen can't decide who's more shaken by the aftermath of the explosion. Kensi looks fine, but she always does. The fact Callen can tell she's worried is a testament to just how badly she was taken by surprise. Deeks's antics are pretty normal, but the LAPD detective seems to be in some sort of hyper-mode—and Kensi isn't threatening to do bodily harm to him—which is another indicator that all is not quite yet well.

"She looks so calm."

Callen's eyes widen slightly and it's only because of his years of training that he doesn't jump at the sound of Nell's voice. He wonders if Hetty has been secretly teaching her the art of sneaking up on people.

"She's tough," he replies.

"Yeah, but, she almost got blown up. They both did."

Nell's a couple steps in front of him, leaning on a pillar and peeking around it. He studies her for a moment, trying to read her. He can see the tension in her shoulders, the serious look on her face, and the thin line of her lips.

"You're angry," he comments.

She looks at him briefly and he's surprised at the intensity of her look.

"It's only been a couple days, but in that time, Hetty's almost been shot, you were shot at—you should really wear a vest, you know—Kensi was kidnapped, and then she and Marty were nearly blown up. That's almost the entire team," Nell says in one breath. "So, yes, I'm mad. It could have just as easily been Sam in the line of fire and with all the various intelligence agents about, it's entirely possible that the whole team could have been lost and what if they'd decided _I_ was a target just because I went out with Hetty and— And—"

Callen steps forward and puts his hands on Nell's shoulders. He's grateful when she stops talking, but he feels another kind of anxiousness in his gut when she looks up at him with eyes that have seen too much in too short a time.

"We're okay, Nell. We're _all_ okay."

"But what if—"

"Nell."

She blinks at him, but doesn't speak up again. They stare at each other for a long moment.

"We got through this. We're a team and we all did our jobs. Things didn't go as smoothly as they could have, but they never do. Focusing on the 'what-if's won't help anything."

"I—I know," she says with a sigh. "I just can't help but think that we should have been more prepared."

He nods. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. There's no way we could have accounted for every scenario. The best we can do is analyze what did happen and plan for the future."

She's nodding, too, and when she looks up at him with a smile, the tightness in his chest loosens.

"I can help with that," she says.

"I know."

* * *

><p>Everyone has secrets. Nell just found Mattias's.<p>

"So, I think I found something," she tells Eric.

"What?" he asks, rolling his chair over to her. "Oh. I see."

Without another word, he rolls back over to his station and his fingers start flying over the keyboard. "And I think I just found something, too."

Nell walks over and peers over his shoulder. She exchanges a look with Eric. A mistress, some money, and property on the side. Oh, yes, this is definitely good.

"I think this kind of information should be shared, don't you?" Nell grabs a tablet and transfers the data they just found.

"Absolutely," Eric replies with a grin. "And it should be safeguarded. I'll take care of that."

"And I'll go notify." Nell flashes Eric a conspiratorial smile before strolling out of Ops.

* * *

><p>They're all watching Hetty like a hawk. Callen knows they're not being particularly inconspicuous but he doesn't really care at the moment. He's contemplating following Hetty when she leaves but gets distracted by Nell. She's coming down the stairs from Ops and he's almost certain she's <em>bouncing<em>. And she's smiling. A lot.

"Agent Callen, I have something for you," she announces, voice a little sing-song. She stops right in front of his desk and holds a tablet out to him.

Callen narrows his eyes suspiciously but takes the proffered tablet. He sits up quickly.

"You found this?"

Nell's outright grinning. "Me and a certain technological rockstar."

Eric skips down the stairs to join them. "Who's a rockstar? Mattias's location is on your phones, by the way."

"Apparently, you are," Callen muses as he flips through the incriminating photos on the tablet.

Sam comes up behind him and whistles low.

"I think we have one last loose end to tie up, don't you?" Deeks asks when he sees the pictures.

Callen looks each of the agents in the eye and without a word, they all gather their jackets and sidearms, ready to leave.

"Good work, you two," he praises, lifting the tablet in salute.

As the agents depart to deliver some retribution, OSP-style, Callen can't help but grin as he hears the sound of a high five behind him.

* * *

><p>It's late and OSP is quiet, but Nell is still working. Eric had gone home hours before and she's pretty sure she's the only one left, but she doesn't mind. Sometimes she can get more done without other people distracting her. She just has one more search to run and cross-check before she'll be satisfied there are no loose ends left to tie up and then she can go home.<p>

"You know, people are going to start thinking you live here."

Nell clutches at her desk and barely manages not to scream. She might have squeaked, though.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Callen apologizes.

"What—what are you doing here, Agent Callen?"

He holds up the tablet he'd taken earlier. "Wanted to return this before something could potentially happen to it to give Hetty a reason to kill me."

Nell's lips twitch and she takes the tablet, logging it back into the inventory and putting it in its assigned space. "You're all set."

"You should go home," he says. He's leaning on the main table and the low lighting sets off his blue eyes. Nell tries not to stare and is only marginally successful. "It's been a long couple days."

"In a minute. I just have one more thing to check up on."

"Uh huh."

"What about you?" she asks, trying to deflect. "Won't people think you live here if you stay too long?"

He shrugs, casting his eyes about the room. "I did, at one point. Well, I slept here a few times."

"But you have a house."

"I didn't at the time."

"Oh."

And now they're back to staring at each other again. Nell tries desperately to find some conversation topic but idle chatter has never been her strong suit. Usually it ends up with her babbling about something random which quickly degenerates into completely inane words flowing from her mouth. She's surprised when Callen sits in Eric's chair and starts spinning around, staring at the ceiling.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

He stops and turns his head towards her. "Waiting for you."

"You don't have to."

"Humor me."

Nell realizes this is like what happened earlier when she was out at Sander Lee's store. This is something he has to do because, as they all know, this case could have very easily turned tragic for all of them.

"Okay."

Callen seems content with her reply and resumes his slow spinning. Silence stretches between them but this time, Nell doesn't feel an overwhelming need to break it. She does anyway. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asks, continuing to rotate.

"For checking up on me earlier."

"Thanks for doing it. I know it wasn't protocol, but," he trails off.

"I get it." And she does, but there's always that tiny seed of doubt. "I just—"

"Nell, it didn't mean I didn't think you could do the job. Wait, was that too many negatives or not enough?"

"I, uh, I'm too tired to dissect that sentence right now, but I think I understand."

Callen chuckles. "Anyway, my asking you to check in with me had nothing to do with your abilities as an intelligence analyst or NCIS employee or anything else. You're good at what you do and I know I can depend on you."

She knows he doesn't give out praise often (in the back of her mind she thinks she'll have to go through the surveillance recordings in Ops to save this moment off later) so she's floored at what she's hearing.

"I, uh, I— Wow, okay. Thanks." She cringes at her complete incoherence.

Her terminal beeps, saving her from having to look at him, and she scans the data quickly, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Done?"

Nell turns to answer and pauses because Callen is suddenly right next to her. She hadn't heard him wheel over. He's staring at her monitor, but he's leaning forward, encroaching just a little into her personal space.

"Uh, yeah. I was just searching flight manifests and cross-checking with the known intelligence agents that had recently arrived—along with their possible aliases—and making sure they left."

"And?"

She smiles brightly. "They're all gone."

"And not a moment too soon. I'll walk you out if you're ready to leave," Callen offers, standing up and putting Eric's chair back in place.

"Yep, just let me grab my things."

They go through the motions of shutting down the building for the night and meet at one of the side doors.

He pushes the door open and gestures for her to pass. "After you."

She waits while he sets the alarm and tries to remember where she parked. She's not surprised when Callen turns to the left and touches her elbow to guide her. "You parked next to me, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged."

Nell laughs softly. "Well, that's probably a good thing. I don't remember where I parked."

They walk in silence and Nell tries not to dwell too much on how close he is. Sometimes their arms bump and she swears she can feel his fingers brush against hers occasionally.

"You good to get home?" he asks when they reach their vehicles.

"I'm good," she replies with a smile.

Callen returns her smile and nods in her direction. "Have a good night, Miss Jones."

"And you, Agent Callen."

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary:**

Part 2 of 2. The Russians have joined the party. We meet Monty for the first time and he won't search for explosives while the team is watching. Nell finds Renner's safe deposit box key. Callen organizes a trip to the bank to check it out but is marked by the Russians and can't make a move. He devises a bait and switch. The Russians chase after Kensi, who doesn't really have the book, and ultimately take her with them. To get her back, Nell puts fake microdots on an old book to trade. Kensi's in a room armed with explosives and laser beam triggers. Deeks helps her out but on the last one, he pulls her out and they're blown out of the room but they're okay. Mattias, it turns out, is working for the CIA and the Russians. He starts to believe, probably because he wants to, that there was never a black book. The team ambushes Mattias in a parking garage and tell him they know about his affair and warn him not to try anything with Hetty. Hetty visits her own safe deposit box, which contains a gun, several IDs, and many passports. She puts a black book in, the contents of which may or may not be what everyone is searching for.


	8. Vulnerability

**Vulnerability**

**Rating: **PG-13

**Spoilers: **02x11 – Disorder

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the delay again. Now that Season 3 has finished airing, maybe I'll actually get these Season 2 snippets done and get started on Season 3. Ahaha, who am I kidding? Slow output is slow. In any case, we're entering a stretch of episodes that don't have much to offer Nell/Callen-wise, which means I have to make up more. Not necessarily a bad thing, but anyway. I know that on the other side of the slow episodes are a couple of awesome ones. So, patience, virtue, yadda yadda yadda. I can't thank **vegarin** enough for reviewing this and offering some insights. The first draft was quite lacking and hopefully this offers some appropriate additions. I hope you guys enjoy it! I really appreciate and love all the feedback you guys leave. Y'all are awesome.

* * *

><p>Nell is focusing so intently on her tablet, triple and quadruple checking her packing list, she doesn't notice someone is standing in her path when she rounds the corner by the agents' bullpen. That is, not until she runs right into a body.<p>

"Oof!"

She starts to fall, but her descent halts abruptly.

"Er, Agent Callen?" she stammers, eyes wide in surprise.

They're in a very awkward position. She's halfway to the floor and the only reason she's not on it is because Callen has one arm around her back, the other grasping her upper arm. If they were dancing, they'd be in a sort of modified mid-dip.

"You okay?" he asks, shifting his feet and pulling them both upright. He doesn't remove his hands and she's momentarily distracted by his warmth.

"Yeah, uh, wow. Okay, that was embarrassing. Sorry about that." Nell's talking fast and not really thinking about what she's saying.

When she stops speaking, there's silence and her brain catches up with her mouth and she can practically feel her cheeks burst into flames. She's torn between spinning on her heel and running away and hiding behind her tablet. The tablet wins and she holds it in front of her like a shield, crossing her arms. They're standing so close, though, that she's almost touching him and she's sure she can feel his body heat.

"I should have watched where I was going. I'm sorry I ran into you."

Callen shrugs, taking a step back and turning back to look at the plasma screen. "It happens."

Nell frowns, disappointed he moved away. "So, what are you watching?"

Callen nods at the display. On it is a still image of the standoff between Kensi and Talbot on the Santa Monica Pier.

"There's video of that?"

"Not very good quality, but it was on at least one security camera on the pier." Callen reaches for the remote and rewinds a few seconds before letting the scene play out.

Nell studies Kensi's face and cringes inside at the brief moment of anguish reflected on the young agent's features. The footage is grainy, but she can still see it.

"That must have been so hard for her," Nell murmurs, stepping up to stand beside Callen, their arms touching. She'd witnessed the boatshed interview and immediately felt like she was intruding when Kensi started talking about Jack.

"The choice to end a life always is," Callen replies. "But I think you're talking more about the fact that Kensi connected with Talbot on a personal level, one that ended up being a lie."

Nell turns to look at Callen but his eyes are on the screen. "Yes, I was talking about that. Not that I don't think that having to make the decision to end a life isn't hard, but this whole situation." Nell flails a hand around, trying to find words. "I'm not explaining myself very well."

"No, but I know what you mean. And that's why I'm reviewing the footage," Callen supplies. "I wasn't there and Sam showed up just after shots were fired."

They watch the footage a few more times.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure," he admits. "Kensi says she's fine, but she always does. So, I'm trying to get some insight into whether or not she really is by seeing what happened."

"Can't you just ask her in private?"

Callen looks down at her, a slight smile on his lips. "Kensi doesn't like to show weakness to anyone, especially herself. She got played today. She's not going to put herself out there again so easily."

Nell stares at him for a long moment. "Are you channeling Nate or something?"

Callen chuckles. "Maybe. But let's just say that none of us are strangers to lying to ourselves."

She opens her mouth to reply, but she doesn't really have a response. At least, not one she's willing to voice. Nell's definitely becoming an expert at lying to herself lately, especially when it comes to one G. Callen and whatever feelings she may or may not be starting to have for him. Not that she's going to admit anything to anyone. At all. Ever. Maybe.

"What do you see?" Callen suddenly asks.

"What?"

He points to the screen. "When you watch this, what do you see?"

Nell takes a moment to analyze the scene. She's not entirely sure what Callen's getting at, so she starts with the obvious. "Well, he shoots first, so that leads me to believe she didn't shoot him in anger."

He nods. "True, but in letting him get a shot off, she put the public in danger."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. So, you think Kensi should have shot first?"

"Maybe. But, like you said, then it may have seemed like she did so out of anger. By hesitating, though, it makes me wonder if she empathized a little too much with Talbot."

Nell drums her fingers on her tablet for few moments. "You think that she thought she may still have been able to save him when she couldn't save Jack?"

"Now who's channeling Nate?"

She gives him a quick smile. "But Talbot didn't have PTSD."

"No, he didn't. That doesn't mean she wanted to kill him."

Nell nods and her eyes stray back to the screen. The scene is paused with Talbot's body on the ground and Kensi and Sam conferring. "So, what did you decide?"

Callen puts his hands on his hips and shifts his weight, bringing him closer to her. "Kensi did what she needed to do."

"You don't sound surprised."

"I'm not, I just wanted to be sure," Callen answers. "Trust, but verify."

Nell steps closer to the display and looks at Kensi's frozen face. She reaches out, touching a finger just under the image of Kensi's head. "But still."

She hears Callen move and then feels him right behind her, but she doesn't turn.

"What are you thinking?" His voice is low, warm, and right next to her ear. Nell sucks in a quick breath, pleasantly surprised at how close he is, barely resisting the urge to lean back into him.

"I keep going back to what she said in the boatshed. I mean, like you said, she put herself out there and she got played. But now we've all heard it. I just—I guess—I kind of feel bad for her."

There's a long moment before he replies. "I think, in a way, that's a good thing."

She turns her head slightly, stopping when she can actually feel the heat of his face on her cheek. From the corner of her eye, she can see that Callen's eyes are on the screen and she can see how much he cares about Kensi. "How do you mean?"

His voice is quiet and his tone carries a note of concern. "In our line of business, there isn't much in our lives that's real. I think there's a part of us that wants more reality, more truth, so sometimes it comes out. After all, it's easier to remember the truth than a lie."

She's a little surprised by the hint of something a little forlorn in his voice. "But, why do you think this was a good thing for Kensi?" she asks.

He steps to the side slightly so he can turn to look at her fully. His gaze is intent, but she doesn't feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Now we know a little more about what makes her Kensi. It's unfortunate and sad, but sharing it can sometimes be good for us."

Silence falls between them once more and as the moment stretches, a smile tugs at Nell's lips. "You really _are_ channeling Nate today, aren't you?"

Callen grins. "I guess so. Think it'll get me out of my psych eval?"

"Pssh, as if."

"Ah, well," he says with a sigh. His eyes flick to the tablet she's still clutching. "Making a list and checking it twice?"

"More like three or four times. I don't want to forget anything," she admits.

"How long will you be gone?" The question is simple, but Nell has to fight hard not to read something into it.

"About a week. I'll probably fly back the day after New Year's," she answers.

If there's a flash of disappointment in his eyes, Nell's sure she's imagining it. She's seriously going to have to have a talk with herself later about these inappropriate thoughts in the workplace.

"I'll leave you to it, then." He steps forward and puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. As he turns to leave, he checks his watch. "Think there are any stores still open tonight?"

"Maybe a couple, why?"

"I gotta buy some steak knives before Sam shows up."

She grins. "Good luck with that."

Nell watches him walk away, a debate raging furiously in her head. She doesn't want to leave just yet. She doesn't want to leave _him_ just yet, not with their last conversation having such a serious and somewhat somber tone. It is, after all, the holidays. Things should be festive.

"Callen?"

He stops and turns, eyebrow raised in question.

Before she can question herself, tell herself it's a bad idea, Nell goes to him. She steadies herself with a hand on his shoulder, steps up on the very tips of her toes, and kisses his cheek. "Merry Christmas, G."

The expression on his face is one of shock and when he looks at her, she forces herself to maintain eye contact. He says nothing, but there's clearly a question in his eyes. Nell points up to the archway they're standing under.

Callen's eyes follow her fingers and he smiles. "Mistletoe. Right." And then he leans down and kisses _her_ cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Nell."

Her cheeks are still rosy long after he's left the building.

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary**

It's Christmas-time and carolers are making the rounds. They come to a house, start singing, and then shots are fired and a guy comes out all bloody. The man turns out to be Lance Talbot, former Navy intelligence officer. He would debrief Middle Eastern tribal leaders working with the US. Claims to have PTSD, but it ends up that he's faking it. Kensi bonds with him and we learn about Jack: she was engaged to him 6 years ago, she tried to help him through his PTSD, he left on Christmas morning. Talbot ends up trying to sell his intel and Kensi has to shoot him. Other things that happen: the team walks into work to find gifts at their desks. It turns out to be gifts they'd all given Hetty in previous years. Episode ends with Sam saying he'll stop by Callen's early to ensure he still has the steak knives Sam gave him and Nell gets the tiny sweater Sam bought Hetty in a previous year. Hetty drives Nell to the airport in her convertible.


	9. Preparation

**Preparation**

**Rating: **PG-13

**Spoilers: **02x12 – Overwatch

**Author's Notes:** Yeesh, sorry for the delay—AGAIN. Hopefully I'll have finished Season 2 and started on Season 3 before Season 4 starts, but one never knows. Also, I have another big bang fic in the works for this fandom, so this little series will take a little break as I work on it. I do still plan on finishing out the season at minimum! An infinite number of thanks to **vegarin** for the excellent beta services. And thanks to _you guys_ for being awesome and leaving feedback, marking the story as a favorite, etc. I do notice and it is appreciated.

* * *

><p>Exiting the men's locker room for the second time that night, Callen eyes the climbing wall warily. One of these days, he'll beat Hetty at a challenge, or learn to stop challenging her. Both options have equally likely chances of happening: low.<p>

He's mentally replaying the earlier fiasco in his head when he notices there are more lights on in the facility than he expects at that time of night. Roaming towards the source, he realizes it's the firing range and Callen looks to see who's getting some shooting practice in after hours. He's surprised to discover it's Nell. He's seen her name in the range logs, but this is the first time he's actually seen her there.

Callen watches for a few moments. Nell doesn't seem to notice him and she appears to be practicing drawing and firing. From his vantage point and angle, he can't see her well but he can tell she's focusing intently on her task and he smiles slightly. Nell Jones takes her job seriously and he's certain she takes her training seriously, too.

Still, he's somewhat unsettled that she _is_ doing firearms training. It's not that Callen thinks she's incapable. It's more that while he's glad Nell's taking precautions to learn to protect herself—a necessity in their line of work—there's also a part of him that wishes she didn't have to.

He observes Nell's face as she finishes her clip and brings the target towards her. His features mirror hers when she frowns. Clearly she is not pleased with her results. Hitching his gym bag higher up on his shoulder, Callen makes his way to the firing range. Avoiding guns isn't really possible in their job, but maybe there's something he can do to help her in her training.

* * *

><p>Nell sighs as she takes in the state of her paper target. She's a pretty good shot when she's in a firing stance, but drawing and firing is another thing all together. Her shots are erratic with no grouping; some are even wild. That's not a good thing, especially if she's ever in a situation where she'd have to draw and fire in public.<p>

She feels a draft on her arm and turns to see someone has come into the range. It's Callen and she's both anxious, because she doesn't like to be watched when she's training, yet pleased. After all, who better to offer pointers than the whole reason she was in the range that night?

Pulling off her headgear, she greets him. "Agent Callen. I thought you'd gone home for the night."

"I was just about to," he answers, putting his gym bag on the ground by the door. "I got held up by an, uh, impromptu meeting with Hetty."

"Ah."

There's an awkward pause and Nell desperately tries to think of something to say. She hadn't expected to run into him this evening.

"So," Callen begins. "What brings you to the firing range tonight? Just practice?"

"Yes." She hesitates for a moment, then adds: "Well, not completely. Actually, it's because of you."

"Me?"

"I saw the footage in Venice, when you took down Hertz."

Callen blinks a few times and Nell wonders what he's remembering.

"Oh, so that's why you were practising drawing and firing."

She nods vigorously then steps towards a table with a spent target on it. "I do pretty well when just firing," Nell points at the target. There are tight groups of holes in the head and center mass. "But drawing and firing," she trails off, pointing to the target still hanging in place, head slightly bowed.

Callen steps up to the target and studies it. "Well, at least all your shots are on the target."

Nell gestures at the wildest shots. "Uh, yeah, if you call that 'on the target.' They could have easily been across the room or something."

"It's not an easy skill," Callen offers.

"I know," Nell replies, sighing. "That's why I'm here."

"Okay." Callen pauses. "Would you mind an observer?"

Nell fidgets for a moment, unsure what to say. She doesn't want to seem too eager and is trying to stop herself from coming up with all sorts of scenarios to have him stay.

"Or, maybe I should get going," Callen trails off.

"What? Oh, no, sorry!" Nell mentally kicks herself for pausing too long. "I—I'd really appreciate your insights. I mean, if you have time."

"Sure." Callen turns and grabs a set of hearing protection and Nell blows out a breath, willing her anxiety to abate.

He stands off to the side and nods in deference to her, indicating she should just go about her training as if he wasn't here. Right, like she can do that. Regardless, Nell tries to block Callen out of her thoughts and replaces the target, sending it back down the range.

Nell checks her weapon and steadies her stance. Then, before nerves can get the better of her, she draws and fires off two shots. Lowering her gun, she winces. She sneaks a look at Callen and is relieved to see him smile a little in encouragement. She's grateful, too, that his arms are hanging to his side and not crossed. His casual stance puts her a little bit at ease. Taking a deep breath, Nell tries again.

By the time she's done with her clip, Nell's pretty much at the place she was before Callen stopped by. That is, she's still pretty terrible.

"Not bad."

Nell turns and gapes at Callen. "Not bad? Are we looking at the same target?"

Callen's lips twitch. "Don't sell yourself short, Nell. Your form is good, I think you just need more practice."

She makes a quiet growling noise. "Is it always going to be this frustrating?"

"There's a reason the phrase is 'practice makes perfect'. And, frankly, I'd be more concerned if your form wasn't solid. You can even practice without an actual weapon."

"Really?"

"Really," he answers. "The weapon is important, especially the weight of it in your hands, but so is knowing how to hold your arms and hands. Give it a try."

"Er."

"Like this." And then Callen demonstrates, his shooting arm coming up in perfect alignment right at her eye level.

Nell watches, fascinated with the way his arm muscles move as he mimes pulling the trigger. Her eyes trace the line from his forearm to the way his fingers curl and she marvels at the strength in his grip.

"Nell?"

Callen's voice breaks her out of her reverie and she's embarrassed to find she's probably been staring at his arm for way longer than anyone has a right to. Although, it is a very nice forearm, well muscled and—

Nell shakes her head. "Sorry, I was thinking." Trying to get her head back to the task at hand, she mirrors his stance and brings her arm up. She can immediately tell her aim is off. "Wow, my arm muscles suck."

Callen chuckles softly. "That will come with time and training. But while you _can_ do this without a weapon, there's no substituting the real thing. Ready to try again?"

Nell nods enthusiastically and moves to replace her target.

* * *

><p>Callen has to admit he's enjoying training with Nell, and not just because she's an attentive and determined student. He's come to realize he genuinely enjoys her company and he's glad he's found this opportunity to spend some time with her.<p>

"Try a few draws without firing," he instructs, watching her from the side.

Nell does have good form and Callen notices she doesn't really have any bad habits that need to be corrected. She just needs more practice and while he wishes she didn't need to have this training, he's glad she has a good resource in NCIS and he's more than happy to help if needed.

"Okay," he says, interrupting her practice stance. "For real this time, but I'm going to stand behind you."

"All right," she replies slowly.

Nell is much shorter than him, so while Callen can easily see over her head, what he really wants is to see things from her angle. He widens his stance so he doesn't have to squat at an odd angle to peer over her shoulder.

"Whenever you're ready," he says and they both pull their headgear fully over their ears.

Immediately, Callen can tell Nell is uneasy. He's never been comfortable with having people behind him so he understands. But this is something she'll have to get over if she needs to be effective in the field.

Halfway through the clip, Callen can see a pattern. Nell's shots start to seem more random and from Callen's vantage point, he can tell she's anticipating and overcompensating.

Right before she draws for another shot, Callen deliberately brings his right arm up into her field of view. Nell visibly flinches, pulling her arm in a tiny bit, but a hole appears in the target dead center in the chest.

Nell takes a step back but Callen doesn't, so she bumps into him. Instead of moving away, she turns to the side and looks up at him, her eyes wide and surprise on her features. Their eyes lock for a moment and Callen can't help but smile at her. When she smiles in return, he's momentarily distracted by the light shining off her lip gloss.

He's so startled to realize he's staring at her lips that he shifts aside abruptly, accidentally bumping her away from him. His hands shoot out to steady her before he realizes what's happening. They end up with Callen still standing behind her, but he's practically holding her close to him, which is awkward in ways that are more than just the fact that Nell's still armed.

Callen deliberately touches his headgear to hers. "Uh, sorry about that. I must have slipped."

"Th-that's okay." She's staring straight ahead, gun clutched in both hands.

Carefully, Callen disengages from her and steps back, then motions for her to continue. Nell doesn't do anything for a long moment but he doesn't press her. He's not entirely sure himself what the hell just happened, only that whatever it was had nothing to do with firearms training and everything to do with physical proximity.

Nell eventually starts firing again and she does well for a couple rounds before her shots start straying again. Callen gives her a few more rounds to try to get back into the groove, but when it's clear she isn't, he tries another tactic.

This time, right as she's about to draw, Callen steps up close and nudges her right shoulder with his. Nell stumbles forward but when she fires, her aim is true. She finishes the rest of her clip with good results and minimal intervention by Callen.

She puts her weapon down on the counter and turns to him, both of them pulling their hearing protection off. "I don't get it," she says, a frown on her face. "How come I can shoot straight when you're pretty much making sure I shouldn't be able to?"

Callen opens his mouth but doesn't say anything, trying to find the words to convey what he's seeing. He opts for the direct and simple explanation. "You're over-thinking it."

Nell blinks at him a few times. "Over-thinking it?"

He nods and watches, fascinated, as a thoughtful expression crosses her face and her eyes look up towards the ceiling, tracking back and forth as if she's further analyzing his words and her actions.

"I guess you're right," Nell finally answers. "I mean, whenever I shoot I always seem to have a weird running commentary in my head that ends with 'Just shoot, Nell!'"

Callen grins. "And now you've hit upon a key aspect of firearms. The physics and mechanics are pretty static, but the human factor, that's the part you can't predict."

"But practicing this," she says, pointing behind her at her weapon and target, "will help?"

"Absolutely. Practice builds muscle memory, and so long as you're practicing correctly, it'll be the correct muscle memory." He hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "I can help you with practicing, if you like."

"Really?"

"Sure. We can even go over other techniques, too, if you want."

"That—that would be great," she replies with a wide smile. "Um, how often were you thinking?"

Callen shrugs, hanging his headgear back on its peg. "Once or twice a week?"

"That sounds good." Nell checks her watch. "Although, not tomorrow night."

"Hot date?" he quips with what he hopes is a playful smile. He tries to ignore the pang of anxiety in his chest.

Nell laughs. "Nothing so exciting. I have a weekly Skype session with my parents."

"Ah. Well, we can play it by ear. Depending upon how busy we are, some nights may be better than others."

"Very true," Nell says, collecting up her targets and putting them in the recycling. She turns back to him and puts a hand on his. "And thanks, Callen. I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem," he answers.

Callen waits for her as she collects her things and they walk through the armory together. He's surprised to see Hetty still at her desk when they reach the main part of the building.

"Goodnight, Hetty," he calls out.

"Goodnight, Mr. Callen," she replies before looking their way. "Ah, Miss Jones. I have some things for you to look into when you come in tomorrow, but one item in particular requires a little explanation I can provide now if you have a moment."

"Oh, sure, Hetty." Nell turns to him and flashes him a smile. "Have a good night, Agent Callen. And thanks again."

Callen nods in acknowledgement, watching for a moment as Nell makes her way to Hetty's desk.

As he walks out of the building and to his car, Callen reflects on the night's activities. Unsurprisingly, his thoughts are not on being shown up by Hetty—that's rather normal, really—but on his interactions with Nell. He tries to figure out why he felt so anxious when she made it clear she had plans the following night. After all, he doesn't think twice when Kensi talks about her dates. Although, to be fair, he doesn't really have to worry about it because Kensi rarely takes things past the first date.

Climbing into his car, Callen decides he's just being protective. Nell's still relatively new, but he knows she's a valuable asset so it makes sense that she's taken a place in his little work family. The thought of someone unknown interacting with her is bound to be unsettling. What he felt earlier was just a protective response. It couldn't possibly be a tiny twinge of jealousy.

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary**

Coroner Rose is doing on Yusuf Afzal an autopsy and she finds a residue with a USN marking on it. She leaves the room to call the NCIS crew and one of the workers there, Edgar, is in the room when two men come in, kill Edgar, and take the body Rose was just autopsying. Hetty catches Callen stealing some of her agave nectar and she tells him his 360 evaluations of his co-workers are unacceptable because they're all perfect. He suggests racing her to the top of the climbing wall for it and she manages to psych him out. Nell finds out the residue is Overwatch (Nell to Sam: "It's very Sauron."), a tagging detection system that allows people to be tracked by satellite anywhere. There aren't supposed to be subjects tagged in the US, but the tracker shows 112 targets in LA. Yusef's body was taken for his head to get past an eye scanner in the hospital. Radiopharmaceuticals were taken and other materials to make a dirty bomb. They track it down to a sale in Venice. Deeks gets into a fight with one of them and thrown into the water (Nell shows this footage repeatedly in Ops later). Sam and Callen track the other guy, Wendell Hertz, who is carrying a bag. Hertz grabs a bystander and Sam approaches slowly, Callen hidden behind him. Sam tries to talk Hertz down and when Hertz's guard is down he dives and Callen kills him with one shot. They look in the bag and there is a canister missing. Later, Hetty waits for Callen in the gym and he tells her he redid the evaluations. They end up racing for the rock wall and the episode ends in a fade to black with Callen's voice saying, "damn it!" implying Hetty won.


	10. Flustered

**Flustered**

**Rating: **PG-13 (for language)

**Spoilers: **02x13 - Archangel

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the slow updates. I do intend to finish off this series, it'll just take some time. I'll keep putting episode summaries at the end, too, in case it does take so long those who read this forget what's been going on and need a reminder. :) Thanks to **live_brave** for the beta services. And thanks to you all who have stuck with this, despite the slow updates!

* * *

><p>Nell is in the incinerator room, methodically throwing old case files and working papers into the oven with as much force—and spin—as she can muster. She counts the number of rotations, too, although she's not really sure what "record" she's going for.<p>

The case was frustrating, annoying, and ultimately tragic. With each file she lets fly, she attempts to let go of the case.

Possible national secrets leaked.

_*fling*_

A dead end with a dead blogger.

_*fling*_ (She gets 720 degrees of rotation off of that one.)

The nonsense with the FBI.

_*thwap*_ (That one goes straight to the back of the incinerator, no rotation at all.)

"Nell?"

She's so caught up in her thoughts that she literally shrieks and throws the rest of the files in the direction of the voice.

Nell spins around, mouth agape, and is horrified to see Agent Callen standing in the room, looking perplexed with several loose sheets of paper floating to the ground around him.

"Oh, my god." Nell claps her hands over her mouth.

Callen's eyes flick towards the mess of papers at his feet and then back to her. "You know, death by papercut isn't really the way I thought I'd go."

Nell closes her eyes and wonders if she could fit in the incinerator and turn it on from the inside. Right now.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Agent Callen, you caught me completely by surprise." Then, to avoid looking at him, she squats down and starts picking up the files. He doesn't say anything and after a while, she can't stand the silence. "What brings you down here?"

"You, actually."

She pauses, looking up. When their eyes meet, something in the air seems to shift. Slowly, Callen crouches down next to her, eyes still trained on hers.

_*crack*_

Nell notices Callen wince slightly and the spell is broken.

"What was that?"

Callen grimaces. "My knee."

Before Nell even realizes what she's doing, she reaches out and puts a hand on his knee. "Maybe you should ice it more. You didn't really have a long time to do so earlier."

Callen gives her a lopsided grin and covers her hand with his. "You saw that, did you?"

Nell shrugs. "You should know by now that Hetty records just about everything that goes on here. For posterity."

"Uh huh."

Silence falls between them again. By some unspoken cue, they both slowly turn their heads to regard the lone security camera in the corner of the room. Nell resists the urge to wave at it. She does, however, remove her hand from Callen's person.

"So, whatever possessed you to challenge Hetty?" she asks as she resumes picking up files.

Callen shrugs. "Hell if I know. No, that's not really true. Because she suggested it. Sort of. I think. Maybe it was my idea. Then again, it could have been reverse psychology."

Nell eyes him skeptically.

Callen gives a long suffering sigh. "Yeah, don't even. I have this conversation with Sam all the time."

Nell can't help but giggle. "So, it's like a friendly rivalry or something?"

"I guess," he admits. "She never gloats, not really, but part of me has to wonder if she enjoys kicking our asses on a regular basis just to keep us in line."

"That is the legend that is Henrietta Lange," Nell muses.

"That it is," Callen agrees. "But, enough about me. I came here to see you. Here, let me help you."

"Oh, you don't have to..."

Nell's voice trails off when she looks in Callen's direction. He's turned away from her, which presents her with a fantastic view of his backside. He has his leg with the sore knee stuck out to the side as a counterbalance. And then he leans forward, which causes his jeans to stretch quite nicely over his well-defined—

She catches herself just as her newly collected pile of papers threatens to spill from her grasp once more.

"Uh, you came to see me?" Nell hopes if she engages in conversation she can avoid any more potential mishaps due to inappropriate staring.

"I noticed you seemed out of sorts earlier," he comments. "And, judging by how forcefully you were flinging files around just now, I'd say you still are."

"Oh." It's not an answer, but it's all she can manage at the moment because she's a little surprised he took notice of her mood and even more embarrassed at her outburst.

"You want to talk about it?"

Nell sighs and tries to organize her thoughts. "I can't seem to figure out how I feel about what Driscoll did," she says after a long silence. "On the one hand, it was his job to keep the information safe. On the other, he was trying to honor those fallen soldiers."

Callen nods. All the papers have been picked up, so he stands. He offers a hand to her and she takes it. He doesn't let go after he helps her up. "But there's more to it, isn't there?"

Nell nods. "Yeah. I mean, regardless, I don't think he deserved to die, not the way he did. I can't imagine how Sam feels. He made a decision in an attempt to keep Driscoll safe and it didn't work."

"In our line of work, we face these decisions all the time. Sam knew the risks," Callen says.

"It still sucks."

Callen smiles wryly. "Yes, yes it does."

They stand there for a moment, neither saying anything, hands still joined.

"Is that all?" he asks, breaking the silence.

Nell blinks at him. "What?"

"Is that all that's bothering you?"

She sighs again and pulls her hand out of his grasp, moving to lean on the wall with her arms crossed, hugging the files to her chest. The room is small, so she doesn't go very far. Callen leans a shoulder on the wall next to her and she's comforted by his closeness.

"I just—I can't—" Nell starts. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but no words come forth until finally, "The thing with the FBI was stupid."

The statement hangs in the air.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that," Callen says.

"The—the inter-agency rivalry thing we were doing. It's bullshit." Nell claps a hand over her mouth and looks up at him. "Sorry."

Callen laughs. "Who knew Nell Jones had a foul mouth?"

She swats at him, but he can see the smile on her lips.

"Yes, it is bullshit," Callen concedes. "Unfortunately it's part of the territory."

She shakes her head and takes the papers he has in his hands before moving to the incinerator and unceremoniously dumping the files into it.

"I don't get it. Aren't we all on the same side?"

"It's not that simple," Callen says.

Nell turns to look at him. "It should be."

He raises his hands in defense. "I know. It's stupid and complicated. Welcome to government work."

Nell slams the oven door shut, turning the handle to lock it. "It just makes me mad that we do all this posturing and one-upping when we could save so much time just doing our jobs."

"If I recall correctly, you were in on some of the posturing today," Callen points out.

Nell rolls her eyes. "I know and I'm not proud of it, but Hetty thought it'd be faster than going through the proper channels, which also sucks."

"That it does," he acknowledges.

"I just think it's more important to do our jobs and catch the bad guys than trying to show each other up."

She's surprised when Callen puts a hand on her shoulder, pulling slightly so she'll turn towards him. "You're a good person, Nell, and your heart is in the right place. Don't ever lose that."

She's stares at him, trying to read him. She knows he's not teasing her, but the comment seems strange. "You don't feel the same way?"

"I do," he says, "but I've been in the business long enough to know that you can't always escape the bullshit, unfortunately."

Nell reaches up and puts a hand over the one he has on her shoulder. "You're a good person, too, you know."

Callen doesn't say anything and the moment stretches before he steps back and her hand falls to her side. "Maybe. But I'm too cynical and old to really show it."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Nell replies, an impish smile on her lips.

"Which part?"

"Both."

Callen tilts his head and Nell looks him straight in the eye. She always seems to get a little thrill when she manages to stump the senior agent, but a part of her is also a little sad that he thinks that way about himself.

The incinerator activates with a loud click. Startled, Nell jumps forward and looks back with a frown at the offending machine. "I always forget this thing has a delayed start."

When she turns back, Nell's startled again because she's a hairsbreadth away from Callen. She tries to step back, but his hands on her upper arms stops her.

"Careful, wouldn't want to get burned."

Her breath catches in her throat. Behind her, she can feel the heat of the incinerator and hear a faint roar as the files inside burn. In front of her, Callen's looking at her with such an intense look, she's rooted to the spot.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Nell moves, pushing slightly against him and Callen steps back. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and turns towards the exit, trying to remember what they were talking about. "So, what did you mean about not being able to get around the BS?"

Callen shrugs, holding the door after she pulls it open. "Just like I said. In the end, you either play along or you get thrown under buses and what not."

"Sounds like a horrible catch-22."

"It is."

"So, how do you not get trapped by it?"

"You play better than anyone else."

"Like Hetty?"

"Like Hetty."

They walk in silence for a while.

"It'd take more than one lifetime to do that," Nell muses.

"Don't I know it."

Their footsteps echo softly in the hallway and there's one more thing still bothering her, but Nell is hesitant to bring it up.

"Spill it."

"Wh—what?"

"You look like you have something more to say," Callen states.

Nell eyes him warily, wondering if he can read her mind. She opts to answer him rather than go down that line of questioning. "Is Sam going to be okay?"

"Yes."

"You answered pretty quickly."

"Yes, because he has to."

Nell isn't satisfied by the answer. "You should talk to him."

"Because we don't have Nate?"

"Because you're his friend."

Callen is quiet for a few moments. "Yeah."

When they reach the main part of the facility, they take different paths. Nell continues up to Ops but stops on the upper landing to observe. Kensi and Deeks have already left. Sam's hunched down in his chair, his eyes on the report in his hands. She's pretty sure he's not actually reading it.

Callen settles back at his desk, and Nell smiles when she sees him casually glance in Sam's direction every few moments.

Finally, Callen gets up, closes his laptop, and grabs his jacket. As Callen gets to Sam's desk, he nudges his partner's foot and gestures towards the exit with his chin.

"C'mon. I'll buy you a donut."

* * *

><p><strong>End Part<strong>

**Episode Summary**

The episode starts with Sam on a bus and a man pointing a gun at him and pulling the trigger. Flash back to hours before and Callen and Hetty are on the climbing wall again. Hetty is doing a fine job of psyching Callen out but technically has to forfeit when Director Vance calls for her with the keyword "Archangel." It's a word that means a major security breach. Callen, however, is still stuck on the wall and, at Sam's urging, opts to fall off it rather than figure out how to climb down. There's word that someone has uploaded Pentagon documents to the Internet about the war in Afghanistan. No one knows what they are. Sam is bothered that someone would betray their own by doing this. The FBI is involved and there's a bit of an inter-agency rivalry. The FBI folks have heard of Hetty but think of her as an urban legend. Eric and Nell help dig up info quickly on the lead agent, Frisbee, to perpetuate the legend. Jenny Weincroft is the contact, but it's her boyfriend, Matt Driscoll, who collected the information. He's a statistician and apparently too good at his job so the powers that be never let him actually deploy. The inability to serve on the front lines was getting to him. Thugs show up. Sam tries to get Matt to safety. Thugs want his ability to get into the Pentagon databases. Sam pretends to be Driscoll but the thugs shoot the real Matt, thinking he's an FBI escort. The last thing Driscoll says before dying is "Names, not numbers." It turns out the information he had that he was going to upload were the names and pictures of Special Forces operatives who had died on classified missions - Driscoll didn't like the fact that they were reduced to serial numbers and statistics. We also learn that Callen didn't fire his first gun until he was 20. Hetty offers a re-match on the climbing wall and Sam tries to talk Callen into it but Callen is resigned to lose to Hetty.


End file.
